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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bound — certain
  3. mine — for digging
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. net — in sport
  9. bound — obliged
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. deal — to handle
  12. fall — to drop
  13. present — there
  14. net — after costs
  15. charge — electricity
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bound — tied together
  18. fall — the season
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. present — the time now
  21. charge — a price
  22. present — a gift
  23. charge — in control
  24. fall — to drop

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