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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mate — to breed
  10. swing — music
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mate — a friend
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bound — certain
  16. content — the amount
  17. hand — help
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. swing — in golf
  20. lie — to recline
  21. hand — in cards
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bound — tied together

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