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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. drill — army training
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. last — final
  5. bear — the animal
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bear — the animal
  8. last — finally
  9. bore — to tire
  10. charge — in control
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. last — to go on
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. fine — high quality
  17. charge — a price
  18. content — the amount
  19. fine — all right
  20. content — happy
  21. bore — to drill
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. charge — electricity
  24. bore — gave birth

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