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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  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. bound — certain
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. rest — a break
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bat — the animal
  8. rest — what's left
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rest — what's left
  11. court — of law
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bound — obliged
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. court — for sport
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. kid — child
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. court — of a king
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bound — tied together
  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