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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bound — certain
  4. content — happy
  5. bass — the fish
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. key — in music
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. content — the amount
  10. net — for catching
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. net — in sport
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bark — to shout
  18. face — to point toward
  19. net — after costs
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bass — low music
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

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