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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: craft · game · spring · bore · pit · present · ball · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. ball — a great time
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — a hole
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. spring — of water
  7. ball — a dance
  8. craft — boats
  9. present — there
  10. present — a gift
  11. spring — the season
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bore — to drill
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. game — a match
  16. content — happy
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bore — to tire
  19. present — the time now
  20. craft — a skill
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. pit — in a race

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