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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. content — happy
  4. content — the amount
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bore — to tire
  7. cue — a signal
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. cue — a hint
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. cue — for pool
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bound — certain
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. present — a gift
  17. bound — tied together
  18. ball — a great time
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bore — to drill
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. ball — a round shape

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