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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bore — to tire
  3. cue — a hint
  4. fork — in a road
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. lean — thin
  10. cue — a signal
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. chest — of your body
  13. content — happy
  14. bore — to drill
  15. content — the amount
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. chest — a box
  18. lean — to bend
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. stand — to bear
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bear — the 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