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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bound — certain
  3. present — a gift
  4. charge — in control
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bound — obliged
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. degree — an amount
  10. can — to be able to
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bulb — for light
  14. can — a tin
  15. present — the time now
  16. charge — a price
  17. bound — tied together
  18. degree — temperature
  19. can — a tin
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bat — the animal
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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