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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: object · bore · hide · cap · calf · content · key · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. key — the most important part
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. cap — of ice
  5. content — the amount
  6. cap — a hat
  7. clip — to cut
  8. key — in music
  9. bore — to drill
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — an aim
  16. content — happy
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. clip — a video
  20. bore — to tire
  21. key — for a lock
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cap — a lid

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