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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. face — to point toward
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. face — to confront
  9. content — the amount
  10. bass — low music
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. kid — child
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bore — to drill
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bass — the fish
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

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