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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. kid — child
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. bore — to tire
  11. present — the time now
  12. bound — obliged
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. present — a gift
  15. bound — certain
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. fine — high quality
  18. board — to get on
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. fine — all right
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bore — to drill
  24. present — there

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