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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. rule — a law
  4. bound — tied together
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. date — the fruit
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. spring — of water
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. land — ground
  12. charge — electricity
  13. perch — the fish
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. land — to come down
  18. bound — obliged
  19. land — a country
  20. charge — a price
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rule — government
  23. bound — certain
  24. spring — the season

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