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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. present — a gift
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. charge — in control
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. charge — electricity
  8. prune — to trim
  9. present — there
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. hand — help
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. capital — a city
  14. charge — a price
  15. bound — certain
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. capital — money
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. hand — in cards
  23. present — the time now
  24. safe — out of danger

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