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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 120 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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. content — the amount
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. file — a tool
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — completely
  9. row — to paddle
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. file — a line of people
  13. board — to get on
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. file — a document
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. row — a line
  19. foot — a measure
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bound — certain
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bound — tied together
  24. board — a committee

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