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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. bound — obliged
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. kid — to tease
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. bound — certain
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bound — tied together
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. file — a document
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  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