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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bound — tied together
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. ball — a dance
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bound — obliged
  7. saw — the tool
  8. net — in sport
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bound — certain
  11. content — the amount
  12. ball — a great time
  13. content — happy
  14. cell — in biology
  15. net — after costs
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. net — for catching
  23. pass — a permit
  24. ball — a round shape

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