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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — certain
  4. content — the amount
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bound — tied together
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — a gift
  13. pop — to visit
  14. content — happy
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. snap — to click
  17. pop — soda
  18. date — the fruit
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. present — there
  23. pop — music
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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