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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bore — to drill
  5. court — of a king
  6. row — to paddle
  7. race — humankind
  8. content — happy
  9. row — a line
  10. bore — to tire
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. race — the arms race
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. content — the amount
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. race — a contest
  21. court — for sport
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. court — of law

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