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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. chest — of your body
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bore — to drill
  7. chest — a box
  8. content — happy
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. perch — the fish
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. content — the amount
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fine — all right
  22. chest — of your body
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cabinet — ministers

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