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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. content — happy
  4. field — for sport
  5. bore — to drill
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bore — to tire
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. field — farmland
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. content — the amount
  15. bound — tied together
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bound — obliged
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. field — a subject
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bound — certain
  24. rule — government

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