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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. content — happy
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bulb — for light
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bound — tied together
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bound — obliged
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fine — all right
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. content — the amount
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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