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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bound — tied together
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bound — obliged
  10. charge — electricity
  11. land — to come down
  12. tube — the underground
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. charge — in control
  15. firm — decided
  16. lie — to recline
  17. tube — a container
  18. firm — steady
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bound — certain
  21. firm — a company
  22. fork — in a road
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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