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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bound — tied together
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. mate — a friend
  13. cap — a hat
  14. mate — a partner
  15. cap — a lid
  16. kid — to tease
  17. roll — a cake
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bound — obliged
  22. roll — a list
  23. kid — child
  24. cap — of ice

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