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

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — obliged
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bound — certain
  6. charge — in control
  7. field — for sport
  8. rash — hasty
  9. spell — a short time
  10. scale — in music
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. scale — size or range
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. content — happy
  15. spell — magic
  16. content — the amount
  17. spell — letters
  18. charge — a price
  19. field — farmland
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rash — a series
  22. charge — electricity
  23. field — a subject
  24. craft — boats

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