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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 124 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. chest — of your body
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. drill — the tool
  5. chest — a box
  6. content — happy
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. dip — to sink
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. content — the amount
  12. ground — the earth
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mug — a face
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. drill — army training
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. ground — a position
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bound — obliged
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bound — certain
  23. ground — crushed
  24. drill — a practice

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