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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 120 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: bore · cabinet · mine · content · racket · fork · dip · season

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. content — happy
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fork — in a road
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. season — in sport
  10. bore — to drill
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. content — the amount
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bore — to tire
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. season — of the year
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to sink

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