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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wax — to grow
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — the time now
  5. chip — for betting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. chip — to eat
  11. cell — in biology
  12. plane — a tool
  13. bound — certain
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. present — there
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bat — the animal

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