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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bore — to drill
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bound — tied together
  5. content — happy
  6. bore — to tire
  7. roll — a list
  8. saw — the tool
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bound — obliged
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. march — the month
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bound — certain
  16. rock — music
  17. squash — to crush
  18. content — the amount
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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