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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. march — the month
  4. bat — the animal
  5. fine — high quality
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. season — in sport
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. march — the month
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. season — of the year
  13. swing — in golf
  14. march — music
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bound — obliged
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fine — all right
  21. pound — a weight
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. kid — child

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