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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 112 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. content — happy
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. root — the cause
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bound — certain
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. root — of a word
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bound — tied together
  17. root — of a plant
  18. saw — the tool

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