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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. staff — employees
  3. can — to be able to
  4. squash — the sport
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. bound — certain
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mark — a grade
  12. can — a tin
  13. staff — employees
  14. bound — tied together
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. pop — music
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pop — to visit
  20. can — a tin
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bound — obliged

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