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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.

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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: content · dip · pop · pitch · squash · bore · spell · trunk

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. spell — magic
  4. pop — to visit
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pitch — completely
  8. content — the amount
  9. bore — to drill
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. spell — a short time
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. squash — to crush
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. pop — music
  21. bore — to tire
  22. pop — soda
  23. spell — letters
  24. bore — gave birth

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