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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. bear — the animal
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. clip — a video
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bound — obliged
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. bound — tied together
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bat — the animal
  19. chip — for betting
  20. clip — to cut
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. racket — for tennis
  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