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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bound — certain
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — a gift
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bound — obliged
  9. cold — an illness
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. present — there
  13. land — to come down
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. land — a country
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cold — not warm
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bound — tied together
  22. branch — a division
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. land — ground

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