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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. suit — in cards
  3. bound — certain
  4. rest — what's left
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bound — tied together
  7. content — happy
  8. rest — what's left
  9. present — the time now
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. present — there
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. track — to keep track
  15. season — of the year
  16. track — a path
  17. suit — to fit
  18. track — a song
  19. season — in sport
  20. bound — obliged
  21. present — a gift
  22. content — the amount
  23. suit — clothes
  24. rest — a break

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