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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. drill — the tool
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. race — a contest
  5. charge — electricity
  6. drill — a practice
  7. race — humankind
  8. present — the time now
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. present — there
  11. race — the arms race
  12. game — a match
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. game — wild animals
  17. present — a gift
  18. content — the amount
  19. bound — obliged
  20. charge — a price
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. drill — army training
  24. content — happy

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