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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cue — a hint
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pass — a permit
  11. charge — electricity
  12. cue — a signal
  13. game — a match
  14. charge — a price
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. cue — for pool
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. game — wild animals
  24. charge — in control

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