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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bound — tied together
  3. rock — a stone
  4. content — happy
  5. date — the fruit
  6. stand — to bear
  7. club — a group
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. cell — in biology
  10. object — an aim
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. object — a thing
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bound — certain
  17. club — for golf
  18. content — the amount
  19. rock — music
  20. object — to protest
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. club — for dancing

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