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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. dip — to sink
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. content — happy
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. content — the amount
  8. band — a ring
  9. bore — to tire
  10. mine — for digging
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. stand — to bear
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bore — to drill
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. band — a music group
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — on your feet

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