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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. hand — in cards
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. staff — a stick
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bound — obliged
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. charge — in control
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. root — of a word
  14. staff — employees
  15. bound — certain
  16. root — the cause
  17. bound — tied together
  18. hand — help
  19. charge — a price
  20. root — of a plant
  21. charge — electricity
  22. staff — employees
  23. perch — the fish
  24. content — the amount

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