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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. current — happening now
  5. rule — a law
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. kid — child
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bound — certain
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. current — of water
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. lie — to recline
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rule — government
  19. bound — tied together
  20. current — electric
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bound — obliged
  23. clip — a video
  24. pound — a weight

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