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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bear — the animal
  3. squash — to crush
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. kid — to tease
  6. net — for catching
  7. bound — tied together
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. squash — the sport
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bound — obliged
  22. kid — child
  23. fine — all right
  24. drill — army training

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