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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. content — the amount
  4. bore — to drill
  5. ball — a great time
  6. content — happy
  7. fork — in a road
  8. season — in sport
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. swing — music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cold — an illness
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bore — to tire
  19. cold — not warm
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. ball — a dance
  24. season — of the year

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