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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.

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: chair · game · content · spell · bore · plane · prune · pit

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pit — a hole
  3. plane — a tool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bore — to drill
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. content — the amount
  8. prune — to trim
  9. game — a match
  10. chair — a leader
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. spell — a short time
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. spell — magic
  17. content — happy
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. pit — in a race
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. spell — letters
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bore — to tire
  24. game — wild animals

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