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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. can — a tin
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bore — to tire
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bulb — for light
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. can — to be able to
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. band — a ring
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bulb — for light
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. sharp — clever
  16. can — a tin
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. content — the amount
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. content — happy

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