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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. charge — in control
  5. kid — child
  6. bound — certain
  7. charge — electricity
  8. drill — the tool
  9. charge — a price
  10. kid — to tease
  11. court — for sport
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. shower — rain
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. drill — a practice
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bound — tied together
  21. rush — hurry
  22. court — of a king
  23. drill — army training
  24. court — of law

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