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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — the amount
  3. bound — certain
  4. content — happy
  5. fall — the season
  6. present — there
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. present — the time now
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. foot — a measure
  16. present — a gift
  17. fall — to drop
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. date — the fruit
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bound — obliged

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