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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bore — to drill
  4. chest — of your body
  5. capital — money
  6. present — a gift
  7. bore — to tire
  8. chair — a leader
  9. row — to paddle
  10. present — there
  11. capital — a city
  12. chest — a box
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. present — the time now
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. fork — in a road
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. row — a line

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