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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bound — obliged
  4. land — to come down
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. land — a country
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. season — of the year
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. season — in sport
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. kid — child
  17. bound — tied together
  18. land — ground
  19. fork — in a road
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bound — certain
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. kid — to tease

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