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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. fine — high quality
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bound — tied together
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. scale — size or range
  9. land — a country
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. kid — to tease
  12. fine — all right
  13. kick — in football
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. cell — a phone
  17. land — ground
  18. face — part of the head
  19. land — to come down
  20. bound — obliged
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. scale — in music
  23. kid — child
  24. face — to confront

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