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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. content — the amount
  3. board — a committee
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. tube — a container
  8. board — to get on
  9. content — happy
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bound — certain
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bound — tied together
  18. mug — a face
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — to rob
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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