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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 120 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. rash — hasty
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mate — to breed
  5. last — finally
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. perch — the fish
  10. season — of the year
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bound — certain
  14. charge — a price
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. charge — in control
  17. last — to go on
  18. rash — a series
  19. season — in sport
  20. stem — to come from
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bound — tied together
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. last — final

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