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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 120 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  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. bound — certain
  2. cell — a phone
  3. hand — help
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bound — obliged
  9. dip — to sink
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pop — music
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cell — in biology
  17. content — happy
  18. hand — in cards
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bound — tied together
  23. dip — a sauce
  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