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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. sharp — clever
  3. object — an aim
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bound — tied together
  6. ball — a great time
  7. object — to protest
  8. content — the amount
  9. bound — obliged
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — newspapers
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. object — a thing
  16. press — to push
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — a series
  23. wake — a trail
  24. ball — a dance

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