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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bore — to drill
  4. content — happy
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. content — the amount
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. rest — a break
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rest — what's left
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. wake — a trail
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. tube — a container
  22. kid — to tease
  23. chair — a leader
  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