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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: bore · pop · coach · chip · can · mine · drill · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. can — a tin
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. can — a tin
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. can — to be able to
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pop — soda
  12. chip — for betting
  13. content — happy
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bore — to drill
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. drill — the tool
  19. content — the amount
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. drill — a practice
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bore — to tire
  24. drill — army training

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