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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bound — certain
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. club — for dancing
  7. land — a country
  8. bound — tied together
  9. charge — a price
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. land — to come down
  13. club — for golf
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. land — ground
  17. club — a group
  18. bear — the animal
  19. charge — in control
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cell — a phone
  24. charge — electricity

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