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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.

Make a worksheet

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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. chest — of your body
  3. content — happy
  4. bore — to tire
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. object — to protest
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bore — to drill
  9. chest — of your body
  10. object — a thing
  11. last — finally
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. object — an aim
  14. last — to go on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. sharp — clever
  17. last — final
  18. plane — a tool
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. chest — a box

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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