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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 116 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: bore · pit · lie · saw · chair · rest · track · content

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. track — a song
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rest — what's left
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — a hole
  9. lie — to recline
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. content — happy
  12. rest — a break
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bore — to tire
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bore — to drill
  18. content — the amount
  19. track — to keep track
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. rest — what's left
  23. track — a path
  24. pit — in a race

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