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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. toast — bread
  4. kick — in football
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bound — obliged
  10. content — happy
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bound — certain
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. bound — tied together

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