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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. spell — magic
  5. bound — obliged
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bound — certain
  8. kick — in football
  9. spring — a coil
  10. board — to get on
  11. fine — all right
  12. board — a committee
  13. bound — tied together
  14. spell — letters
  15. spring — the season
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — the amount
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. spring — of water
  21. wax — to grow
  22. fine — high quality
  23. spell — a short time
  24. kick — with a leg

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