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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 116 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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468
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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. kid — child
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. last — to go on
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. kid — to tease
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — obliged
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. last — finally
  16. pass — a permit
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. last — final
  21. pitch — completely
  22. fine — all right
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. safe — out of danger

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