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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — a thing
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. mark — a trace
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. drill — the tool
  15. object — to protest
  16. deal — to handle
  17. content — happy
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. mark — a grade
  22. content — the amount
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pop — soda

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com