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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bound — tied together
  3. kid — child
  4. land — a country
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. spell — magic
  7. board — a committee
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. club — a group
  10. spell — a short time
  11. club — for dancing
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. spell — letters
  15. club — for golf
  16. bound — obliged
  17. board — to get on
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. perch — the fish
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bound — certain
  24. perch — for a bird

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