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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. content — happy
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bound — obliged
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. spring — the season
  12. mate — a partner
  13. spring — of water
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. kick — in football
  16. stand — to bear
  17. spring — a coil
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — to breed
  20. content — the amount
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. kick — a thrill

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