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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 120 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. rest — a break
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. field — for sport
  12. bark — to shout
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. content — the amount
  17. board — a committee
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — farmland
  20. season — of the year
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rest — what's left
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bark — of a tree

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