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

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bound — certain
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bound — tied together
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. kid — child
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bark — to shout
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — a price
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bound — obliged
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. charge — in control
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. chair — a leader

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