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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bound — certain
  8. mine — for digging
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rush — hurry
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. fall — the season
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. spring — a coil
  20. content — the amount
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bound — tied together
  23. content — videos and posts
  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