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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pop — music
  4. spell — letters
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pop — soda
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pop — to visit
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bound — tied together
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. content — the amount
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. spell — magic
  19. content — happy
  20. bound — certain
  21. spell — a short time
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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