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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. content — happy
  3. game — a match
  4. bound — tied together
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. stand — to bear
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. can — a tin
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. content — the amount
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bound — certain
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. can — a tin
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. saw — the tool
  23. can — to be able to
  24. stand — on your feet

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