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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bound — certain
  5. hand — in cards
  6. charge — in control
  7. march — music
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. hand — help
  13. charge — electricity
  14. toast — bread
  15. ball — a great time
  16. march — the month
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fork — in a road
  21. march — the month
  22. charge — a price
  23. bound — tied together
  24. hand — part of the body

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