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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bound — certain
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. content — happy
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bound — tied together
  10. mine — for digging
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. vault — a safe
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. game — a match
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. content — the amount
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. game — wild animals
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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