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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. mark — a grade
  7. fine — all right
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bore — to tire
  12. rule — government
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. rule — a law
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mark — a trace
  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