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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bound — tied together
  3. charge — in control
  4. deal — to handle
  5. land — a country
  6. bound — obliged
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. hand — in cards
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — ground
  11. charge — a price
  12. bound — certain
  13. branch — a division
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. wake — a trail
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — music
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. charge — electricity
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. deal — an agreement

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