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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. pit — a hole
  3. kid — to tease
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bound — tied together
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. kid — child
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bat — the animal
  12. charge — in control
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bound — certain
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — in a race
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — electricity

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