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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. spell — magic
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — certain
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. spell — a short time
  8. kid — child
  9. spell — letters
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — to tire
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. kid — to tease
  20. club — for golf
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. club — a group
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. perch — for a bird

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