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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. clip — a video
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. can — to be able to
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. clip — for paper
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — part of the head
  15. can — a tin
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. face — to confront
  18. can — a tin
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. kid — to tease

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