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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bulb — for light
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. present — there
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bound — certain
  11. field — farmland
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. fork — in a road
  14. present — the time now
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bulb — for light
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bound — tied together
  22. field — for sport
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. field — a subject

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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