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

Word bank: bear · capital · bore · board · kid · content · stick · club

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. board — to get on
  4. content — the amount
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. kid — child
  7. bear — the animal
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. club — for dancing
  11. board — a committee
  12. club — for golf
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bore — to drill
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. capital — a city
  18. content — happy
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. club — a group
  23. bore — to tire
  24. capital — money

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