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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. content — happy
  4. craft — boats
  5. bound — obliged
  6. content — the amount
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. board — a committee
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bound — certain
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. scale — size or range
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lean — thin
  17. board — to get on
  18. craft — a skill
  19. scale — in music
  20. bound — tied together
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. wound — an injury

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