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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — happy
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bound — obliged
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — in sport
  7. suit — clothes
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bound — tied together
  10. suit — in cards
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. content — the amount
  15. suit — to fit
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — magic
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bound — certain
  22. rash — a series
  23. season — of the year
  24. rash — hasty

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