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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mug — a cup
  5. fine — high quality
  6. board — to get on
  7. cell — a phone
  8. present — a gift
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. cell — in biology
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. present — the time now
  16. mug — to rob
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. fine — all right
  19. march — music
  20. board — a committee
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. fork — in a road
  24. mug — a face

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