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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. capital — money
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. rash — a series
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bound — certain
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. capital — a city
  14. content — happy
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bear — 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