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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: arm · sharp · bound · present · charge · press · ground · march

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. charge — electricity
  3. march — the month
  4. bound — tied together
  5. charge — a price
  6. present — the time now
  7. ground — the earth
  8. march — music
  9. charge — in control
  10. present — there
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — newspapers
  13. sharp — clever
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. march — the month
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. present — a gift
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. press — to push
  24. bound — obliged

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