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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bound — certain
  4. suit — in cards
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. kid — child
  8. can — to be able to
  9. staff — employees
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. suit — clothes
  12. staff — employees
  13. bound — obliged
  14. field — for sport
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bound — tied together
  18. kid — to tease
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — a price
  21. field — farmland
  22. can — a tin
  23. field — a subject
  24. suit — to fit

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