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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. file — a line of people
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bat — the animal
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. season — of the year
  17. content — happy
  18. bore — to tire
  19. content — the amount
  20. season — in sport
  21. file — a document
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bore — to drill
  24. file — a tool

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