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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bound — obliged
  3. firm — steady
  4. track — to keep track
  5. field — farmland
  6. charge — electricity
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bound — tied together
  9. track — a song
  10. season — of the year
  11. firm — decided
  12. field — a subject
  13. file — a document
  14. firm — a company
  15. field — for sport
  16. file — a line of people
  17. track — a path
  18. present — the time now
  19. file — a tool
  20. bound — certain
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — a price
  23. present — a gift
  24. season — in sport

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