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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.

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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bound — tied together
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bound — obliged
  6. foot — a measure
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. staff — employees
  11. bore — to drill
  12. staff — employees
  13. ball — a great time
  14. clip — to cut
  15. kick — in football
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. content — the amount
  19. clip — a video
  20. staff — a stick
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bound — certain
  24. ball — a dance

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