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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. key — in music
  3. content — happy
  4. bound — obliged
  5. foot — a measure
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. vault — a safe
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — for a lock
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. bound — tied together
  12. season — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. content — the amount
  17. bound — certain
  18. season — of the year
  19. net — after costs
  20. kick — in football
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. kick — with a leg

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