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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pop — music
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. staff — employees
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. mine — for digging
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bound — certain
  13. pop — soda
  14. content — happy
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. pit — in a race
  18. staff — employees
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. staff — a stick
  21. content — the amount
  22. tear — to rip
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. tear — from crying

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