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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. present — there
  3. bound — certain
  4. track — a song
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bound — obliged
  8. present — a gift
  9. key — for a lock
  10. track — a path
  11. content — happy
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. key — the most important part
  15. rush — hurry
  16. key — in music
  17. present — the time now
  18. track — to keep track
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bound — tied together
  21. kid — child
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. content — the amount
  24. kid — to tease

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