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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. present — the time now
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. wind — moving air
  8. net — for catching
  9. suit — in cards
  10. wind — moving air
  11. suit — to fit
  12. chair — a leader
  13. ground — the earth
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. net — after costs
  16. bound — certain
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bound — tied together
  21. suit — clothes
  22. net — in sport
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. present — there

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