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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. tube — the underground
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bound — obliged
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. content — the amount
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. board — a committee
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. sharp — clever
  15. content — happy
  16. board — to get on
  17. cold — not warm
  18. tube — a container
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bound — tied together
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bound — certain

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