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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bank — for money
  4. file — a tool
  5. present — the time now
  6. bound — certain
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. bank — for money
  9. file — a document
  10. charge — in control
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. race — the arms race
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. present — a gift
  15. bank — of a river
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. race — a contest
  21. chair — a leader
  22. charge — a price
  23. race — humankind
  24. file — a line of people

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