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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wind — moving air
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. field — farmland
  7. rest — what's left
  8. charge — a price
  9. bound — certain
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. charge — electricity
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. field — a subject
  14. wind — moving air
  15. date — the fruit
  16. chest — of your body
  17. field — for sport
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. charge — in control
  21. rest — a break
  22. bound — tied together
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. chest — a box

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