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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. field — for sport
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bound — obliged
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. field — farmland
  11. saw — the tool
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. content — the amount
  14. bound — tied together
  15. field — a subject
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bound — certain
  18. track — a path
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. craft — a skill
  21. saw — the tool
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a song
  24. craft — boats

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