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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 116 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. swing — in golf
  8. shower — rain
  9. content — happy
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. shower — to wash
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. swing — music
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bore — to tire
  20. content — the amount
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wind — moving air
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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