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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. content — happy
  4. bore — to drill
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. chest — of your body
  8. toast — bread
  9. lean — thin
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. chest — a box
  14. bore — to tire
  15. lean — to bend
  16. staff — a stick
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. staff — employees
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. staff — employees
  22. content — the amount
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. chest — of your body

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