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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bound — certain
  3. tear — from crying
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. swing — to play on
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. fine — all right
  9. swing — in golf
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bound — obliged
  15. tear — to rip
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. kid — to tease
  19. fine — high quality
  20. swing — music
  21. tear — from crying
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bound — tied together

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