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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're almost out of ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. present — a gift
  5. kid — child
  6. wake — a trail
  7. pop — to visit
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mug — a face
  10. pop — music
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. hand — help
  16. present — the time now
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — to rob
  20. bark — to shout
  21. hand — in cards
  22. present — there
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. hand — part of the body

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