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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. content — happy
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. lean — to bend
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bore — to drill
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bore — to tire
  15. lean — thin
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — a trail
  18. content — the amount
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pass — a permit
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. kick — in football

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