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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 120 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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. net — after costs
  6. kid — child
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bound — certain
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. kid — to tease
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bound — obliged
  19. net — in sport
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lie — to recline
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bound — tied together
  24. net — for catching

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