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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: lean · ground · bore · wind · content · lash · cue · pit

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cue — a signal
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. content — the amount
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pit — in a race
  8. lean — thin
  9. bore — to tire
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lean — to bend
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pit — a hole
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cue — for pool
  22. content — happy
  23. cue — a hint
  24. content — videos and posts

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