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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. board — a committee
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. board — to get on
  6. spring — of water
  7. bound — obliged
  8. land — a country
  9. cell — a phone
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. land — to come down
  15. bound — certain
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bound — tied together
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. land — ground
  24. spring — a coil

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