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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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468
Word bank
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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. content — happy
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. content — the amount
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. rest — a break
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. row — to paddle
  19. stand — to bear
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bore — to drill
  22. row — a line
  23. bore — to tire
  24. arm — a part of something

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