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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. staff — a stick
  5. stock — shares
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bound — tied together
  8. content — the amount
  9. staff — employees
  10. tube — the underground
  11. can — a tin
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. can — to be able to
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stock — goods
  16. content — happy
  17. can — a tin
  18. spell — magic
  19. tube — a container
  20. spell — letters
  21. staff — employees
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — a gift

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