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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. field — a subject
  3. tube — the underground
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. can — to be able to
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — in control
  8. chair — a leader
  9. can — a tin
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — bread
  12. charge — electricity
  13. field — for sport
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bound — certain
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. tube — a container
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bore — to tire
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. field — farmland

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