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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 120 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. kid — child
  4. bound — certain
  5. kid — to tease
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. chair — a leader
  8. craft — a skill
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. content — the amount
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. content — happy
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bound — obliged
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. rock — music
  20. craft — boats
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. foot — a measure
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. rock — a stone

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