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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bound — tied together
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bore — to tire
  8. race — a contest
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. spell — magic
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spell — letters
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bound — certain
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. spell — a short time

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