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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bass — low music
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bound — tied together
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bass — the fish
  9. press — a publisher
  10. content — the amount
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. press — to push
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bound — certain
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bound — obliged
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — to eat
  24. trunk — of a car

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