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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bank — of a river
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a tool
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bank — for money
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bore — to drill
  9. file — a line of people
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. hand — help
  15. bore — to tire
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. content — happy
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. kid — to tease
  21. hand — in cards
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bank — for money

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