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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bound — obliged
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. cell — in biology
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. cell — a phone
  12. kid — to tease
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mine — for digging
  16. plane — a tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. kid — child
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bound — certain
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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