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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. chest — of your body
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bound — certain
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. chest — of your body
  8. tube — a container
  9. rule — a law
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rule — government
  12. content — happy
  13. chest — a box
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. tube — the underground
  16. shower — rain
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. content — the amount
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bound — tied together
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. wound — an injury

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