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

Word bank: present · bound · jam · cell · court · deal · bore · mate

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. court — of a king
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. court — for sport
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. present — the time now
  10. mate — a friend
  11. cell — a phone
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. bound — tied together
  14. mate — a partner
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. cell — in biology
  17. court — of law
  18. bound — certain
  19. mate — to breed
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. bore — to tire
  23. jam — in traffic
  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