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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 120 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. spring — a coil
  5. charge — in control
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bore — to tire
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. spring — of water
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. content — the amount
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. spring — the season
  21. hand — help
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. charge — a price
  24. bore — to drill

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