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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. charge — a price
  3. current — happening now
  4. chest — of your body
  5. present — a gift
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. face — part of the head
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. present — the time now
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. face — to confront
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bound — obliged
  15. current — of water
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chest — a box
  19. current — electric
  20. charge — in control
  21. face — to point toward
  22. present — there
  23. charge — electricity
  24. bound — tied together

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