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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — certain
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. ground — a position
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. charge — a price
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. ground — crushed
  13. charge — in control
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. ground — the earth
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. kid — to tease
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. charge — electricity
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. mine — for digging

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