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

Word bank: cue · pop · wind · mine · content · fine · bound · charge

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pop — soda
  5. cue — for pool
  6. mine — for digging
  7. fine — high quality
  8. cue — a signal
  9. charge — in control
  10. bound — certain
  11. pop — music
  12. cue — a hint
  13. content — the amount
  14. pop — to visit
  15. charge — a price
  16. wind — moving air
  17. charge — electricity
  18. wind — moving air
  19. content — happy
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. fine — all right
  22. bound — tied together
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. mine — belonging to me

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