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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 120 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: leaves · content · pit · mark · bat · bound · lie · chair

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. mark — a grade
  3. content — the amount
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bound — tied together
  6. pit — a hole
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bound — certain
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mark — a trace
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. content — happy
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bat — for baseball

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