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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. content — happy
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. content — the amount
  7. bound — certain
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bound — tied together
  10. club — for golf
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. toast — bread
  13. object — a thing
  14. club — a group
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. object — to protest
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. court — of law
  24. safe — out of danger

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