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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: content · field · chest · bore · deal · drill · temple · calf

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bore — to tire
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. deal — to handle
  9. drill — a practice
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. drill — the tool
  12. field — farmland
  13. bore — to drill
  14. field — for sport
  15. content — the amount
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. drill — army training
  18. content — happy
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. field — a subject
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. calf — a young animal

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