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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bound — obliged
  3. scale — size or range
  4. present — a gift
  5. bound — tied together
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. mark — a trace
  8. game — a match
  9. present — there
  10. game — wild animals
  11. scale — in music
  12. cell — a phone
  13. season — in sport
  14. cell — in biology
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. season — of the year
  17. mug — a face
  18. present — the time now
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mug — a cup
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bound — certain
  23. mark — a grade
  24. cell — in a prison

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