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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. game — a match
  3. bound — tied together
  4. charge — a price
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bound — certain
  8. charge — in control
  9. can — a tin
  10. cell — in biology
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. charge — electricity
  15. clip — for paper
  16. cell — a phone
  17. can — to be able to
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. clip — a video
  20. stem — to come from
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bound — obliged

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