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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. roll — a cake
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. roll — a list
  18. bound — tied together
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bat — the animal

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