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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 116 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: mate · bore · ball · march · sharp · spring · content · saw

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mate — to breed
  5. ball — a dance
  6. march — the month
  7. content — happy
  8. content — the amount
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. mate — a friend
  12. march — the month
  13. sharp — clever
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. mate — a partner
  16. march — music
  17. spring — of water
  18. ball — a great time
  19. saw — the tool
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bore — to tire
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. sharp — exactly

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