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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bear — the animal
  4. net — after costs
  5. bound — certain
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. net — for catching
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. kid — child
  12. game — a match
  13. net — in sport
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. lean — thin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bear — the animal
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mark — a trace
  24. game — wild animals

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