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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. season — in sport
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bound — obliged
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pop — music
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. lean — thin
  10. mate — a partner
  11. pop — to visit
  12. content — the amount
  13. season — of the year
  14. content — happy
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pop — soda
  19. mate — to breed
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bound — certain
  23. snap — to click
  24. bound — tied together

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