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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. staff — employees
  3. present — a gift
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. mark — a trace
  6. present — there
  7. staff — a stick
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. cap — of ice
  10. net — in sport
  11. content — happy
  12. content — the amount
  13. net — for catching
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bound — tied together
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bound — obliged
  18. staff — employees
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bound — certain
  22. present — the time now
  23. net — after costs
  24. bat — the animal

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