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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. key — in music
  3. rest — what's left
  4. spell — letters
  5. content — the amount
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rest — what's left
  12. key — for a lock
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. spell — a short time
  15. content — happy
  16. rest — a break
  17. wake — a trail
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bound — tied together
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bound — certain
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. spell — magic

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