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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. net — after costs
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. cold — an illness
  6. track — to keep track
  7. net — in sport
  8. track — a path
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. content — the amount
  13. track — a song
  14. deal — to handle
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. content — happy
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bore — to tire
  21. mark — a trace
  22. net — for catching
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. deal — a big deal

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