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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: chest · bay · bear · kick · bore · fine · capital · key

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. chest — of your body
  3. fine — all right
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. kick — in football
  14. fine — high quality
  15. capital — money
  16. key — in music
  17. capital — a city
  18. key — the most important part
  19. chest — a box
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bore — to drill
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bore — to tire

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