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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bound · clip · content · kid · bore · leaves · racket · mug

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. content — happy
  9. bound — certain
  10. bore — to drill
  11. mug — a face
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mug — to rob
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bore — to tire
  16. clip — a video
  17. mug — a cup
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. clip — for paper
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bound — tied together
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bound — obliged

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