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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. cold — not warm
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — to drill
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. suit — clothes
  8. content — the amount
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. cold — an illness
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lie — to recline
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. suit — in cards
  20. wind — moving air
  21. suit — to fit
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. lie — an untruth

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