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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cue — a hint
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bound — tied together
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — happy
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. game — a match
  10. cue — for pool
  11. branch — a division
  12. rock — music
  13. content — the amount
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. game — wild animals
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. cue — a signal
  19. bound — obliged
  20. rock — a stone
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. game — a kind of play

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