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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. firm — a company
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bound — certain
  6. cold — not warm
  7. rash — a series
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cold — an illness
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rest — a break
  12. firm — decided
  13. rest — what's left
  14. content — happy
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. firm — steady
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — obliged

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