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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — the earth
  5. deal — to handle
  6. content — happy
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a skill
  11. ground — a position
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bound — tied together
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. content — the amount
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bound — certain
  24. content — videos and posts

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