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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. kid — child
  3. game — a match
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. lean — thin
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bear — the animal
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — for golf
  15. bear — the animal
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bound — obliged
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. club — a group
  23. game — wild animals
  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