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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bat — the animal
  7. game — a match
  8. kid — child
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mug — a face
  13. bound — obliged
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. kid — to tease
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mug — to rob
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mug — a cup
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bound — certain
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bound — tied together
  24. game — a kind of play

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