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

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  3. track — a song
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bark — to shout
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. track — a path
  13. kid — to tease
  14. track — to keep track
  15. sharp — clever
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. bound — tied together
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bound — certain
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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