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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. track — a song
  4. scale — size or range
  5. net — for catching
  6. rash — hasty
  7. track — a path
  8. game — wild animals
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. content — happy
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. scale — in music
  17. content — the amount
  18. bound — certain
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. game — a match
  22. track — to keep track
  23. rash — a series
  24. game — a kind of play

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