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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. cold — an illness
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. season — of the year
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bound — tied together
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bound — certain
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. content — happy
  12. season — in sport
  13. branch — a division
  14. net — after costs
  15. toast — bread
  16. bound — obliged
  17. net — in sport
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. content — the amount
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. cold — not warm
  24. jam — in traffic

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