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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 116 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've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pass — a permit
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bark — to shout
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. present — there
  12. present — a gift
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rule — a law
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. present — the time now
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bound — certain
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bound — obliged
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rule — government
  24. bark — of a tree

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