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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. spell — a short time
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bound — tied together
  5. spell — magic
  6. rock — music
  7. content — happy
  8. content — the amount
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. spell — letters
  12. fork — in a road
  13. spring — of water
  14. chip — to eat
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. cap — of ice
  19. rock — a stone
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bound — certain
  22. cap — a lid
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. rock — to move gently

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