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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 120 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. swing — music
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — tied together
  7. swing — in golf
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. swing — to play on
  12. track — a song
  13. season — in sport
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. chair — a leader
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. season — of the year
  22. bound — certain
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. content — the amount

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