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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. clip — a video
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. clip — for paper
  7. firm — steady
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bore — to tire
  10. content — the amount
  11. chest — a box
  12. fork — in a road
  13. content — happy
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — a stone
  19. firm — decided
  20. clip — to cut
  21. firm — a company
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. chest — of your body

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