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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 120 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. mate — a partner
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. content — the amount
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bass — low music
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. spring — of water
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bass — the fish
  19. mate — a friend
  20. last — finally
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. spring — the season
  23. content — happy
  24. bass — the instrument

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