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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 120 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. file — a tool
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bulb — for light
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. file — a document
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. file — a line of people
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bore — to drill
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. row — to paddle
  19. fine — all right
  20. content — the amount
  21. row — a line
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. fan — to cool the air

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