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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. content — happy
  4. content — the amount
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — army training
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bore — to tire
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. kick — in football
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bore — to drill
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. drill — a practice
  21. band — a music group
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — a trail
  24. content — videos and posts

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