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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 116 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bound — certain
  3. content — the amount
  4. firm — steady
  5. bound — obliged
  6. perch — the fish
  7. track — a song
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. firm — a company
  10. press — to push
  11. track — to keep track
  12. press — newspapers
  13. content — happy
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. capital — a city
  18. firm — decided
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — money
  22. track — a path
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bark — to shout

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