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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. rash — hasty
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. wake — a trail
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. content — happy
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rash — a series
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. court — for sport
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. court — of a king
  20. content — the amount
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. court — of law
  23. bore — to drill
  24. wake — before a funeral

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