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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. court — of a king
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. pitch — completely
  19. content — the amount
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. hand — help
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bore — to tire

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