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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 120 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. object — to protest
  4. deal — to handle
  5. spell — magic
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. fine — all right
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bound — certain
  12. kid — child
  13. bear — the animal
  14. spell — a short time
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. spell — letters
  19. bound — obliged
  20. object — an aim
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bear — the animal
  24. fine — high quality

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