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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. charge — electricity
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. object — to protest
  5. pop — soda
  6. wind — moving air
  7. object — a thing
  8. race — humankind
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. sharp — clever
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. race — a contest
  15. bound — certain
  16. charge — in control
  17. race — the arms race
  18. charge — a price
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bound — tied together
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. object — an aim
  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