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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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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. spring — of water
  3. bound — tied together
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bound — obliged
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bound — certain
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stock — goods
  11. spring — the season
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. stock — shares
  15. charge — a price
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. charge — electricity
  18. spring — a coil
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mine — for digging
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  24. straw — a straw man

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