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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  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 — obliged
  2. tube — the underground
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. tube — a container
  8. track — to keep track
  9. charge — electricity
  10. kid — child
  11. bound — certain
  12. track — a path
  13. dip — to sink
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. bound — tied together
  17. track — a song
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. charge — in control
  21. net — after costs
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. charge — a price
  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