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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. firm — steady
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. content — happy
  6. bound — tied together
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. content — the amount
  9. firm — a company
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. spell — letters
  16. season — of the year
  17. spell — magic
  18. file — a document
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — thin
  21. firm — decided
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. spell — a short time
  24. season — in sport

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