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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. bound — obliged
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bore — to drill
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mine — for digging
  14. kid — child
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. ball — a dance
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bound — certain
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. ball — a round shape

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