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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — tied together
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. charge — in control
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. charge — electricity
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bound — obliged
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. hand — in cards
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. charge — a price
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. game — a match
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. hand — help
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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