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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 120 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. ball — a great time
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bound — certain
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wind — moving air
  12. ball — a dance
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bound — tied together
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wind — moving air
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pass — a permit
  23. chest — a box
  24. kid — child

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