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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · content · chip · field · rush · bore

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. chip — for betting
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bore — to tire
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. field — for sport
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. content — the amount
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bore — to drill
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — music

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