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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bound — tied together
  3. lean — to bend
  4. content — the amount
  5. pass — a permit
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bank — of a river
  10. field — farmland
  11. track — a path
  12. bank — for money
  13. bound — certain
  14. field — for sport
  15. track — a song
  16. bank — for money
  17. track — to keep track
  18. content — happy
  19. lean — thin
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. field — a subject
  24. cold — an illness

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