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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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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  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. spring — the season
  2. content — the amount
  3. lie — to recline
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. spring — a coil
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bore — to drill
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. content — happy
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. spring — of water
  23. lie — an untruth
  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