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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 116 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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. tear — to rip
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bore — to tire
  6. content — happy
  7. root — the cause
  8. content — the amount
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. root — of a word
  11. court — of law
  12. court — of a king
  13. bore — to drill
  14. shower — rain
  15. root — of a plant
  16. shower — to wash
  17. tear — from crying
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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