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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mark — a trace
  5. present — there
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. toast — bread
  8. bound — tied together
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. lie — to recline
  17. present — a gift
  18. mark — a grade
  19. pit — a hole
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. present — the time now
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. tube — a container

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