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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. file — a document
  3. net — in sport
  4. bound — obliged
  5. content — happy
  6. ground — a position
  7. bound — tied together
  8. spring — the season
  9. net — after costs
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. file — a line of people
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bound — certain
  16. file — a tool
  17. fine — high quality
  18. net — for catching
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fine — all right
  21. content — the amount
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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