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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · wind · hide · chest · bore · kick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bore — to tire
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bore — to drill
  8. chest — a box
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. content — the amount
  11. wind — moving air
  12. content — happy
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. kick — a thrill

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