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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 120 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cell — a phone
  4. charge — in control
  5. bound — certain
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. charge — electricity
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bound — tied together
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. staff — employees
  17. pitch — completely
  18. staff — employees
  19. cell — in biology
  20. charge — a price
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — a practice
  23. fall — to drop
  24. drill — the tool

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