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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bound — obliged
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. cap — a hat
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. mate — to breed
  9. swing — music
  10. bound — tied together
  11. cap — of ice
  12. roll — a cake
  13. race — a contest
  14. mate — a partner
  15. race — the arms race
  16. swing — in golf
  17. race — humankind
  18. roll — a list
  19. bound — certain
  20. content — the amount
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. content — happy
  24. swing — to play on

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