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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 116 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — happy
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bound — obliged
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bound — tied together
  7. spell — magic
  8. cue — for pool
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. ground — crushed
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. ground — a position
  13. prune — to trim
  14. content — the amount
  15. spell — letters
  16. cue — a signal
  17. charge — in control
  18. prune — to trim
  19. spell — a short time
  20. charge — a price
  21. bound — certain
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. ground — the earth

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