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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. tear — to rip
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bore — to drill
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. tear — from crying
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. tear — from crying
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rule — a law
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — for sport
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. court — of law
  21. kick — in football
  22. bore — to tire
  23. rule — government
  24. leaves — of a tree

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