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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: ground · bore · game · chair · sharp · last · content · bank

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bore — to tire
  3. sharp — clever
  4. content — the amount
  5. last — finally
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bank — for money
  10. last — final
  11. bank — for money
  12. content — happy
  13. ground — crushed
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. ground — a position
  20. bank — of a river
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bore — to drill
  23. chair — a leader
  24. game — a match

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