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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bound — certain
  3. content — the amount
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bear — the animal
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. kid — to tease
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mark — a trace
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — tied together
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — child

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