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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — the amount
  3. capital — money
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pound — a weight
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mark — a trace
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. spring — the season
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bound — certain
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. content — happy
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bound — obliged
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mark — a grade

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