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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. capital — money
  3. land — ground
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. board — to get on
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bound — certain
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. board — a committee
  15. content — happy
  16. content — the amount
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bear — the animal
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bound — tied together
  23. capital — a city
  24. bear — the animal

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