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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bat · charge · race · chest · last · land · bound · present

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. land — ground
  3. bound — tied together
  4. race — a contest
  5. present — there
  6. land — to come down
  7. present — a gift
  8. bound — certain
  9. last — final
  10. charge — in control
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bat — the animal
  13. race — humankind
  14. last — to go on
  15. chest — of your body
  16. present — the time now
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. chest — of your body
  19. charge — a price
  20. race — the arms race
  21. last — finally
  22. land — a country
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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