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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kid — child
  3. charge — in control
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. rock — a stone
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mate — a partner
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — electricity
  11. board — a committee
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. mate — a friend
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. mate — to breed
  21. board — to get on
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — obliged
  24. rock — music

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