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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. kid — child
  3. face — part of the head
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bore — to drill
  8. kid — to tease
  9. ball — a dance
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. face — to confront
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bore — to tire
  17. ball — a great time
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — the amount
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. patient — a sick person

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