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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 120 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. content — the amount
  3. bound — obliged
  4. court — for sport
  5. bound — tied together
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pass — a permit
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. race — the arms race
  12. foot — a measure
  13. rock — music
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bound — certain
  18. race — a contest
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. game — a match
  21. content — happy
  22. race — humankind
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. content — videos and posts

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