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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — certain
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bound — obliged
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. cue — a signal
  12. content — the amount
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. root — the cause
  16. content — happy
  17. cell — in biology
  18. root — of a plant
  19. wake — a trail
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a hint
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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