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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bound — obliged
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. face — to point toward
  5. game — wild animals
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bound — certain
  8. present — there
  9. content — the amount
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. pass — a permit
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. sharp — clever
  15. present — a gift
  16. bound — tied together
  17. face — part of the head
  18. content — happy
  19. foot — a measure
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. face — to confront
  22. game — a match
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. present — the time now

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