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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: present · bound · game · field · land · date · press · toast

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. present — a gift
  3. bound — certain
  4. land — ground
  5. press — newspapers
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bound — tied together
  9. land — to come down
  10. press — to push
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. game — a match
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. present — there
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. land — a country
  18. present — the time now
  19. press — a publisher
  20. date — the fruit
  21. game — wild animals
  22. toast — bread
  23. field — for sport
  24. date — on the calendar

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