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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — to handle
  3. fine — all right
  4. tube — a container
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. craft — boats
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — happy
  12. tube — the underground
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. content — the amount
  15. craft — a skill
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bound — obliged
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bound — tied together
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bound — certain
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. tube — in a tire

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