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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. content — the amount
  6. shower — rain
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fork — in a road
  12. content — happy
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. field — a subject
  21. sharp — clever
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bore — to tire
  24. sharp — exactly

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