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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bound — obliged
  4. march — the month
  5. bound — tied together
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. last — finally
  8. kid — to tease
  9. lie — to recline
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — happy
  14. march — music
  15. bound — certain
  16. last — to go on
  17. board — to get on
  18. march — the month
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. last — final
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. board — a committee

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