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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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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: rock · sharp · bore · date · clip · kid · stand · content

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. date — the fruit
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. kid — child
  6. rock — music
  7. content — happy
  8. clip — a video
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. content — the amount
  11. clip — to cut
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bore — to drill
  14. kid — to tease
  15. stand — to bear
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. sharp — clever
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bore — to tire
  24. clip — for paper

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