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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. chest — of your body
  4. last — to go on
  5. bore — to tire
  6. charge — electricity
  7. last — finally
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. cue — for pool
  11. last — final
  12. staff — employees
  13. bore — to drill
  14. cue — a hint
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. charge — a price
  18. chest — of your body
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. cue — a signal
  21. content — the amount
  22. charge — in control
  23. content — happy
  24. calf — a young animal

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