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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bound — certain
  3. key — for a lock
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. land — a country
  7. bound — tied together
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bass — low music
  10. bore — to drill
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bass — the fish
  13. object — a thing
  14. land — to come down
  15. object — an aim
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bore — to tire
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. object — to protest

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