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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — the amount
  9. bound — tied together
  10. march — the month
  11. mark — a grade
  12. march — music
  13. bound — certain
  14. content — happy
  15. firm — steady
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. firm — decided
  18. saw — the tool
  19. march — the month
  20. mark — a trace
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bound — obliged
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. firm — a company

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