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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. race — a contest
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — obliged
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. charge — electricity
  8. face — to point toward
  9. net — in sport
  10. race — humankind
  11. bound — tied together
  12. charge — a price
  13. net — for catching
  14. staff — employees
  15. net — after costs
  16. kid — child
  17. staff — employees
  18. face — part of the head
  19. mine — for digging
  20. race — the arms race
  21. staff — a stick
  22. kid — to tease
  23. face — to confront
  24. charge — in control

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