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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. kid — child
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bound — obliged
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. roll — a list
  7. kid — to tease
  8. capital — a city
  9. kick — in football
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. craft — a skill
  13. roll — a cake
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bound — tied together
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bound — certain
  18. craft — boats
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to click
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. capital — money
  24. kick — a thrill

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