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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  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. bound — certain
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bank — of a river
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bank — for money
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. content — the amount
  10. bass — low music
  11. rule — a law
  12. bank — for money
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bound — obliged
  15. content — happy
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. kid — child
  22. mark — a trace
  23. rule — government
  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