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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bound — tied together
  3. deal — to handle
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pop — music
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bound — obliged
  11. court — of a king
  12. staff — employees
  13. court — of law
  14. bound — certain
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. content — the amount
  17. pop — soda
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. staff — a stick
  22. court — for sport
  23. content — happy
  24. bulb — for light

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