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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — certain
  4. cue — for pool
  5. kid — to tease
  6. cue — a hint
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — electricity
  11. kid — child
  12. can — a tin
  13. bound — tied together
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bank — for money
  16. spring — the season
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bank — for money
  19. cue — a signal
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. charge — a price
  24. bank — of a river

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