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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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — music
  3. content — happy
  4. field — farmland
  5. saw — the tool
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bound — certain
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. staff — employees
  11. chip — for betting
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. field — for sport
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. staff — employees
  16. chip — to eat
  17. content — the amount
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. field — a subject
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. saw — the tool

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