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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. present — there
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. mate — to breed
  7. present — the time now
  8. bound — tied together
  9. kid — child
  10. bound — certain
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. content — happy
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — a friend
  21. wake — a trail
  22. present — a gift
  23. bound — obliged
  24. racket — for tennis

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