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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bound — obliged
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. season — of the year
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bound — tied together
  11. charge — a price
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. charge — electricity
  14. hand — in cards
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. mark — a trace
  17. hand — help
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. season — in sport
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. charge — in control
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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