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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. land — ground
  3. present — there
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — to rob
  6. present — a gift
  7. squash — to crush
  8. land — to come down
  9. bound — obliged
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bound — certain
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bound — tied together
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. present — the time now
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stand — to bear
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. land — a country
  22. mug — a face
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. rest — a break

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