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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bound — certain
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bound — tied together
  5. net — after costs
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. bore — to tire
  9. kid — child
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. net — in sport
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. degree — temperature
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rush — hurry
  17. can — a tin
  18. degree — from a university
  19. kid — to tease
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bore — to drill
  24. scale — in music

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