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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 120 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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bore — to drill
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bound — certain
  7. charge — in control
  8. bound — obliged
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. charge — electricity
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bore — to tire
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. content — happy
  20. charge — a price
  21. content — the amount
  22. bound — tied together
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — from a university

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