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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. degree — an amount
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. drill — a practice
  6. firm — a company
  7. bound — tied together
  8. kid — child
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. degree — temperature
  11. firm — steady
  12. drill — army training
  13. degree — from a university
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bound — obliged
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. drill — the tool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. lean — thin
  21. kid — to tease
  22. lean — to bend
  23. firm — decided
  24. lean — to rest against

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