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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pop — soda
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. pop — music
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bound — certain
  9. perch — the fish
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bound — tied together
  13. tear — from crying
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — in music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. content — the amount
  18. tear — to rip
  19. key — the most important part
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. content — happy
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chair — a leader
  24. tear — from crying

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