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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — to tease
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — to handle
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. ground — the earth
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a grade
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bound — obliged
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wound — an injury

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