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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bore — to tire
  3. object — an aim
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. mine — for digging
  6. content — happy
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. content — the amount
  12. bore — to drill
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. craft — boats
  18. object — a thing
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. object — to protest
  21. craft — a skill
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. cabinet — ministers

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