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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. club — for golf
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. mate — a friend
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. fine — all right
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — certain
  10. charge — in control
  11. content — happy
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bore — to drill
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. mate — a partner
  18. club — a group
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bound — tied together
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bore — to tire

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