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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pass — a permit
  5. kid — child
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wake — a trail
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bound — certain
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rash — a series
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. rash — hasty
  19. scale — size or range
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. scale — in music
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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