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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.

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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bore — to tire
  11. can — a tin
  12. content — happy
  13. kick — in football
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. staff — employees
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bore — to drill
  18. content — the amount
  19. staff — employees
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. lean — thin
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. kick — with a leg

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