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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fine — high quality
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bound — tied together
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. bore — to tire
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — happy
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. jam — a tight spot

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