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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 120 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. staff — employees
  3. bat — the animal
  4. board — a committee
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bound — tied together
  7. board — to get on
  8. staff — a stick
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. ground — a position
  13. staff — employees
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. ground — crushed
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. ground — the earth
  23. content — happy
  24. dip — to sink

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