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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bound — certain
  3. plane — a tool
  4. fine — high quality
  5. mate — a partner
  6. perch — the fish
  7. spring — of water
  8. mate — a friend
  9. charge — electricity
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bound — tied together
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bound — obliged
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. charge — in control
  18. spring — a coil
  19. charge — a price
  20. squash — the sport
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. spring — the season

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