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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — tied together
  4. present — there
  5. object — to protest
  6. net — in sport
  7. present — a gift
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bound — certain
  12. prune — to trim
  13. net — after costs
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. object — a thing
  19. net — for catching
  20. object — an aim
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. wind — moving air
  24. present — the time now

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