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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. board — to get on
  3. shower — rain
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. content — the amount
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. board — a committee
  14. clip — a video
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. content — happy
  22. bore — to drill
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bore — to tire

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