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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: last · mouse · racket · content · cell · bore · mine · firm

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. firm — a company
  4. bore — to drill
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cell — a phone
  10. last — final
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. last — finally
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. content — the amount
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. firm — steady
  18. bore — to tire
  19. cell — in biology
  20. last — to go on
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. content — happy
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. firm — decided

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