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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — certain
  5. staff — employees
  6. row — to paddle
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. object — an aim
  10. charge — a price
  11. row — a line
  12. object — a thing
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bound — obliged
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. kid — to tease
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. object — to protest
  19. staff — a stick
  20. charge — in control
  21. charge — electricity
  22. saw — the tool
  23. kid — child
  24. staff — employees

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