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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. charge — a price
  3. drill — army training
  4. net — after costs
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. net — for catching
  9. fine — all right
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. charge — in control
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wake — a trail
  19. charge — electricity
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. net — in sport
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. drill — a practice
  24. fine — a penalty

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