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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. stand — to bear
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bark — to shout
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. bore — to tire
  9. cue — a hint
  10. content — the amount
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. shower — to wash
  15. last — final
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. content — happy
  19. bore — to drill
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. shower — rain
  24. cue — a signal

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