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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. spring — a coil
  4. court — of a king
  5. kick — in football
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. court — of law
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. court — for sport
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. content — happy
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bore — to drill
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. content — the amount
  17. bore — to tire
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rest — a break
  21. spring — of water
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. rest — what's left
  24. spring — the season

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