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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 116 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bound — tied together
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. last — final
  8. bound — obliged
  9. kick — in football
  10. content — the amount
  11. last — finally
  12. bound — certain
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. lie — to recline
  20. content — happy
  21. last — to go on
  22. bore — to drill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. lie — an untruth

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