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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pitch — completely
  3. content — happy
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bound — certain
  7. content — the amount
  8. bear — the animal
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bound — obliged
  11. kid — child
  12. bear — the animal
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bound — tied together
  17. spring — of water
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. spring — the season
  20. kid — to tease
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. safe — out of danger

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