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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. mark — a grade
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bound — obliged
  6. mark — a trace
  7. last — final
  8. bound — tied together
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. content — happy
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. last — to go on
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. kick — in football
  20. last — finally
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. toast — bread
  24. bound — certain

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