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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bore — to tire
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. cold — not warm
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. kid — child
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. content — happy
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. content — the amount
  24. cold — an illness

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