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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bore — to tire
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. staff — a stick
  11. content — the amount
  12. row — to paddle
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mate — a friend
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. stem — to come from
  19. row — a line
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. content — happy
  23. mate — to breed
  24. pitcher — in baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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