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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: content · bulb · chest · drill · degree · calf · bore · bat

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. chest — a box
  4. degree — an amount
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. chest — of your body
  7. content — the amount
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. drill — a practice
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. content — happy
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bore — to tire
  16. drill — army training
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bat — the animal
  20. degree — temperature
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. chest — of your body
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. degree — from a university

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