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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. spring — a coil
  4. cell — a phone
  5. chair — a leader
  6. cell — in biology
  7. charge — in control
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bore — to tire
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bore — to drill
  13. spring — of water
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — a contest
  17. rash — hasty
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. spring — the season
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — tied together
  23. rash — a series
  24. charge — a price

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