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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bat — the animal
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. wake — a trail
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — to protest
  9. content — happy
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. hand — in cards
  13. deal — to handle
  14. object — an aim
  15. bore — to drill
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. hand — help
  18. content — the amount
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. content — videos and posts

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