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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pound — a weight
  4. staff — employees
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. staff — a stick
  8. last — finally
  9. hand — help
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. hand — in cards
  16. last — to go on
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bound — certain
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. content — happy
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. last — final
  23. bound — obliged
  24. staff — employees

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