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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 116 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bound — certain
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. bat — the animal
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — government
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. kid — child
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bound — tied together
  16. fine — all right
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. fine — high quality
  21. saw — the tool
  22. kid — to tease
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. rule — a law

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