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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. rock — music
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wind — moving air
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bound — certain
  8. dip — to sink
  9. kid — child
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — low music
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bound — obliged
  18. kid — to tease
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bound — tied together
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rock — a stone
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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