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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bore — to tire
  3. face — to confront
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. face — to point toward
  6. fall — the season
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bound — obliged
  9. tube — a container
  10. content — the amount
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fall — to drop
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bound — certain
  15. bore — to drill
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. tube — the underground
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. content — happy
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — a law
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bound — tied together

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