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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 116 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. net — in sport
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — the amount
  6. bound — certain
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — a signal
  9. ball — a great time
  10. content — happy
  11. ball — a dance
  12. deal — to handle
  13. net — for catching
  14. march — the month
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. cue — for pool
  18. march — music
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. kid — to tease
  21. march — the month
  22. bound — tied together
  23. net — after costs
  24. deal — an agreement

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