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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. chest — a box
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. staff — employees
  7. kid — to tease
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. rock — music
  11. bound — tied together
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. chest — of your body
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a committee
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. rock — a stone
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bound — certain
  23. staff — employees
  24. kid — child

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