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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: mate · present · rule · chip · field · bound · perch · object

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mate — a partner
  4. rule — a law
  5. field — farmland
  6. perch — the fish
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. bound — tied together
  10. object — to protest
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bound — certain
  13. rule — government
  14. present — the time now
  15. object — an aim
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. mate — a friend
  20. present — a gift
  21. bound — obliged
  22. object — a thing
  23. chip — for betting
  24. mate — to breed

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