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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. kid — to tease
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. can — a tin
  9. snap — to click
  10. kid — child
  11. bound — obliged
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bound — certain
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. roll — a list
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. can — a tin
  20. roll — a cake
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. can — to be able to
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bowl — a dish

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