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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 116 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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. content — the amount
  3. bound — certain
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stand — to bear
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. content — happy
  8. rest — a break
  9. current — electric
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. scale — in music
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rest — what's left
  15. scale — size or range
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. court — of a king
  18. bound — obliged
  19. court — of law
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. current — of water
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. current — happening now

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