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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. content — happy
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — a price
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bank — for money
  8. spell — letters
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bank — for money
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bound — certain
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. content — the amount
  15. bank — of a river
  16. charge — electricity
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. spell — magic
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fork — in a road
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — a grade

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