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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stock — shares
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bound — certain
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bound — obliged
  9. spell — a short time
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. key — in music
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. stock — goods
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. key — the most important part
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bound — tied together
  19. content — the amount
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — letters
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. key — for a lock

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