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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. content — happy
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. spring — the season
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — the amount
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bound — obliged
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bound — certain
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. court — of a king
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. pitch — completely
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. court — of law
  23. court — for sport
  24. safe — a strongbox

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