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

Word bank: mine · content · bore · bay · arm · kid · bear · suit

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bear — the animal
  6. content — the amount
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bore — to tire
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. content — happy
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — clothes
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bore — to drill
  17. kid — child
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. suit — to fit
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bear — the animal

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