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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. object — to protest
  3. bound — obliged
  4. object — an aim
  5. lean — thin
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. charge — a price
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. object — a thing
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bound — tied together
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. lean — to bend
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bound — certain
  19. kid — to tease
  20. charge — in control
  21. cap — a lid
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. content — the amount
  24. kid — child

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