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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. snap — to click
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. file — a tool
  10. key — for a lock
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. key — the most important part
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. key — in music
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. bore — to drill
  19. content — happy
  20. content — the amount
  21. file — a line of people
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bore — to tire
  24. file — a document

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