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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — obliged
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. content — happy
  5. spell — letters
  6. fine — all right
  7. present — there
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bound — tied together
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. present — a gift
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. fall — to drop
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fall — to drop
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. spell — magic
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. content — the amount
  22. fall — the season
  23. present — the time now
  24. spell — a short time

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