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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bound — obliged
  3. mine — for digging
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — the amount
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bass — low music
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bass — the fish
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lean — thin
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — certain
  20. fall — the season
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. lean — to bend
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. coach — a trainer

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