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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 are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. squash — the sport
  3. kid — child
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — certain
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. pound — a weight
  14. kid — to tease
  15. race — a contest
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. squash — to crush
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. racket — a loud noise

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