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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. lean — thin
  3. present — the time now
  4. bore — to tire
  5. content — the amount
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bore — to drill
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. charge — in control
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. file — a tool
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. charge — a price
  18. content — happy
  19. present — there
  20. file — a document
  21. charge — electricity
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. lean — to bend
  24. chair — a leader

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