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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. band — a music group
  3. shower — to wash
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. charge — in control
  8. band — a ring
  9. present — a gift
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. present — the time now
  13. bound — certain
  14. land — to come down
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. charge — a price
  18. shower — rain
  19. tear — to rip
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. present — there
  22. bound — obliged
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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