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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. march — the month
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. hand — help
  8. kid — child
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. ball — a great time
  11. tube — a container
  12. march — the month
  13. hand — in cards
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bound — certain
  16. march — music
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bound — tied together
  24. tube — the underground

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