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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bound — tied together
  3. rule — a law
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. chip — to eat
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. band — a ring
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. chip — for betting
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. content — the amount
  20. bass — low music
  21. rule — government
  22. lean — thin
  23. band — a music group
  24. lean — to bend

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