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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. track — to keep track
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — electricity
  8. chair — a leader
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. land — to come down
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bound — tied together
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bound — obliged
  17. track — a song
  18. charge — in control
  19. track — a path
  20. land — ground
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. rest — a break
  23. land — a country
  24. wake — a trail

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