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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. swing — music
  6. chair — a leader
  7. swing — in golf
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. present — the time now
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rest — a break
  18. swing — to play on
  19. present — there
  20. bore — to drill
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bat — the animal
  24. present — a gift

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