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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. tear — to rip
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bound — certain
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bark — to shout
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. content — the amount

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