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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. suit — clothes
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. fine — all right
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. suit — to fit
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. file — a tool
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. cap — of ice
  15. band — a ring
  16. cap — a lid
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. content — the amount
  19. fine — high quality
  20. suit — in cards
  21. pass — a permit
  22. cap — a hat
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a line of people

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