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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. rest — a break
  4. bound — tied together
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rest — what's left
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. lean — to bend
  9. season — of the year
  10. deal — to handle
  11. kid — child
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — thin
  18. season — in sport
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bound — certain
  21. dip — to sink
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bound — obliged

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