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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. toast — bread
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. staff — employees
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. bound — certain
  16. content — happy
  17. kid — child
  18. staff — a stick
  19. fork — in a road
  20. content — the amount
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. staff — employees
  23. kid — to tease
  24. mine — for digging

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