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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. mark — a grade
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. root — of a plant
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. root — the cause
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mark — a trace
  14. vault — a safe
  15. chair — a leader
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. root — of a word
  19. content — happy
  20. content — the amount
  21. shower — rain
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. bore — to drill
  24. shower — to wash

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