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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — a container
  4. season — of the year
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. rock — music
  8. bore — to drill
  9. mate — a friend
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. mark — a grade
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bore — to tire
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. season — in sport
  20. content — happy
  21. mark — a trace
  22. content — the amount
  23. mate — a partner
  24. season — to add flavour

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