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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bear — the animal
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. root — of a word
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bore — to drill
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bore — to tire
  14. court — of a king
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. content — the amount
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. root — of a plant
  20. court — for sport
  21. root — the cause
  22. court — of law
  23. content — happy
  24. toast — bread

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