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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. spell — a short time
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. net — in sport
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. net — after costs
  12. content — the amount
  13. bound — tied together
  14. net — for catching
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bound — certain
  23. content — happy
  24. bound — obliged

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