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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bound — tied together
  3. content — the amount
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. lean — to bend
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. object — an aim
  13. stock — shares
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. game — a match
  16. content — happy
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. lean — thin
  22. scale — in music
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — to protest

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