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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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mate — a friend
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bound — tied together
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. mate — a partner
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. kid — child
  11. bound — certain
  12. mate — to breed
  13. cell — in biology
  14. kid — to tease
  15. spell — letters
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. spell — a short time
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bound — obliged
  22. spell — magic
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. cell — a phone

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