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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pass — a permit
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bound — certain
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. press — to push
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. branch — a division
  14. press — newspapers
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. kick — in football
  19. press — a publisher
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. fall — the season
  24. content — the amount

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