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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bound — certain
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. content — happy
  8. bound — tied together
  9. scale — size or range
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. scale — in music
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bat — the animal
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. tube — a container
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bound — obliged

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