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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · game · wind · spell · bound · ball · key · mark

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. content — happy
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bound — tied together
  6. mark — a trace
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. key — in music
  9. content — the amount
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. spell — a short time
  13. key — the most important part
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bound — certain
  17. wind — moving air
  18. ball — a great time
  19. game — wild animals
  20. spell — magic
  21. game — a match
  22. spell — letters
  23. mark — a grade
  24. game — a kind of play

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