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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. present — a gift
  3. content — happy
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. spell — letters
  6. present — there
  7. key — the most important part
  8. spell — magic
  9. bound — certain
  10. season — in sport
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. key — in music
  14. present — the time now
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. season — of the year
  21. content — the amount
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. key — for a lock
  24. mouse — 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