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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  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. cap — a lid
  2. object — an aim
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. drill — a practice
  6. rock — music
  7. drill — the tool
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. kid — child
  10. spell — magic
  11. bound — certain
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bound — obliged
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bound — tied together
  16. object — a thing
  17. cap — a hat
  18. drill — army training
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — a stone
  21. cap — of ice
  22. spell — letters
  23. object — to protest
  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