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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. land — a country
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. field — for sport
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. spring — of water
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. land — to come down
  13. field — farmland
  14. bore — to tire
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. content — the amount
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bore — to drill
  20. field — a subject
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. land — ground
  24. coach — a trainer

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