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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: bore · row · wake · clip · cell · fine · content · key

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. key — in music
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bore — to tire
  6. clip — a video
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. row — a line
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. content — happy
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. cell — a phone
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. key — for a lock
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. clip — to cut
  19. key — the most important part
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. row — to paddle
  22. fine — all right
  23. cell — in biology
  24. fine — high quality

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