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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. season — in sport
  3. charge — a price
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. charge — in control
  7. march — music
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. present — the time now
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bound — tied together
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bound — certain
  16. march — the month
  17. bound — obliged
  18. march — the month
  19. present — a gift
  20. charge — electricity
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. season — of the year
  24. present — there

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