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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. spell — magic
  3. rash — hasty
  4. row — a line
  5. spell — a short time
  6. cap — a lid
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rash — a series
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bound — certain
  11. track — a path
  12. spell — letters
  13. kid — child
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bound — tied together
  18. kid — to tease
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. track — a song
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. track — to keep track
  24. rush — to hurry

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