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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. ground — crushed
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. hand — in cards
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. last — final
  7. bound — certain
  8. ground — a position
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. hand — help
  12. bound — obliged
  13. charge — a price
  14. ground — the earth
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. charge — electricity
  18. last — finally
  19. branch — a division
  20. last — to go on
  21. board — a committee
  22. charge — in control
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bound — tied together

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