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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bore — to drill
  3. rock — a stone
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. content — happy
  7. bank — of a river
  8. capital — money
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bank — for money
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bore — to tire
  15. roll — a cake
  16. bank — for money
  17. rock — music
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. capital — a city
  22. content — the amount
  23. kid — to tease
  24. roll — a list

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