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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. squash — the sport
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rash — a series
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — a measure
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bound — certain
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. rash — hasty
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. content — the amount
  19. hand — help
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bound — tied together
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. content — happy

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