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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. charge — a price
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. charge — in control
  6. cell — in biology
  7. toast — bread
  8. object — an aim
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. pass — a permit
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. charge — electricity
  14. object — to protest
  15. march — music
  16. object — a thing
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bound — obliged
  20. march — the month
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. march — the month
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cell — in a prison

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