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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. mate — a partner
  5. kid — to tease
  6. bound — tied together
  7. ground — a position
  8. sharp — clever
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. mate — to breed
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. content — happy
  14. roll — a list
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mate — a friend
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. kid — child

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