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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: wind · bear · season · sharp · bore · chest · racket · net

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. season — in sport
  7. wind — moving air
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wind — moving air
  10. net — in sport
  11. bore — to tire
  12. season — of the year
  13. bear — the animal
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. wind — to turn a key

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