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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bound — obliged
  4. content — happy
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — a hole
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. fine — all right
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pit — in a race
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. content — the amount
  20. last — to go on
  21. bound — certain
  22. tube — a container
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wake — a trail

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