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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. ground — a position
  3. mug — a face
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bore — to tire
  6. kid — child
  7. swing — to play on
  8. ground — the earth
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bore — to drill
  12. mate — a partner
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. content — happy
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — music
  18. mate — a friend
  19. content — the amount
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. kid — to tease
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. ground — crushed
  24. mug — a cup

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