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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. staff — employees
  3. mate — a partner
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bound — obliged
  6. net — after costs
  7. bound — certain
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. can — to be able to
  10. staff — employees
  11. present — the time now
  12. can — a tin
  13. staff — a stick
  14. can — a tin
  15. mate — a friend
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. present — there
  19. bound — tied together
  20. branch — a division
  21. net — for catching
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. net — in sport
  24. mate — to breed

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