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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. perch — the fish
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bound — obliged
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. charge — in control
  11. wind — moving air
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pitch — completely
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. charge — a price
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bound — certain

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