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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 116 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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. land — a country
  3. fine — high quality
  4. mate — a partner
  5. spring — the season
  6. land — ground
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bear — the animal
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. fine — all right
  12. mate — a friend
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bound — obliged
  16. land — to come down
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. chair — a leader
  21. spring — of water
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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