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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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468
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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. content — happy
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. tear — from crying
  10. band — a music group
  11. kick — in football
  12. tear — to rip
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kid — to tease
  17. band — a ring
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. content — the amount
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. chair — a leader
  22. kid — child
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. tear — from crying

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