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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. charge — a price
  3. land — ground
  4. charge — in control
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. fall — to drop
  8. toast — bread
  9. fall — the season
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. land — to come down
  12. vault — a safe
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. date — the fruit
  15. fall — to drop
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bound — tied together
  19. charge — electricity
  20. squash — the sport
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bound — certain
  23. land — a country
  24. date — on the calendar

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