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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cap — of ice
  4. content — the amount
  5. file — a tool
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bound — obliged
  9. scale — in music
  10. spell — magic
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. scale — size or range
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. file — a line of people
  17. content — happy
  18. cap — a hat
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. stand — to bear
  21. file — a document
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bound — certain
  24. spell — letters

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