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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. spell — letters
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — certain
  6. rule — a law
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. spell — a short time
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. scale — in music
  16. kid — to tease
  17. spell — magic
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. scale — size or range
  20. rule — government
  21. board — a committee
  22. bound — tied together
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. board — to get on

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