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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 124 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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. land — ground
  4. band — a music group
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. land — a country
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bound — obliged
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bound — certain
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. land — to come down
  22. kid — child
  23. band — a ring
  24. hide — to keep secret

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