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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · drill · stick · bore · mate · content · rash · last

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. mate — to breed
  3. content — happy
  4. land — ground
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. last — to go on
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. mate — a partner
  11. rash — a series
  12. drill — army training
  13. bore — to drill
  14. land — a country
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. rash — hasty
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. drill — the tool
  22. mate — a friend
  23. land — to come down
  24. bore — to tire

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