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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. deal — to handle
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bound — obliged
  5. charge — a price
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. mate — a friend
  8. present — there
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. charge — electricity
  11. fork — in a road
  12. charge — in control
  13. bound — certain
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. drill — a practice
  17. present — the time now
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. mate — a partner
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. deal — an agreement

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