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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. charge — in control
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. field — farmland
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. file — a document
  9. charge — a price
  10. last — to go on
  11. file — a tool
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bound — certain
  14. field — for sport
  15. bound — obliged
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. field — a subject

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