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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. present — a gift
  3. last — to go on
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cell — in biology
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. present — there
  8. object — an aim
  9. last — final
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. object — a thing
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bound — obliged
  16. object — to protest
  17. bound — certain
  18. present — the time now
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. last — finally
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bound — tied together

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