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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bound — tied together
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. squash — the sport
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. field — for sport
  12. tear — to rip
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. kid — to tease
  15. field — a subject
  16. tear — from crying
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. field — farmland
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bound — certain
  21. squash — to crush
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bound — obliged
  24. tear — from crying

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