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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: chest · net · craft · bore · stick · content · arm · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. net — after costs
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. chest — a box
  5. bore — to tire
  6. chest — of your body
  7. craft — boats
  8. content — the amount
  9. craft — a skill
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pop — to visit
  14. net — in sport
  15. bore — to drill
  16. content — happy
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pop — music
  19. net — for catching
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. content — videos and posts

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