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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lean — to bend
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. date — the fruit
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. saw — the tool
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bound — certain
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. lean — thin
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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