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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 116 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. ball — a great time
  5. row — to paddle
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pop — to visit
  10. kid — child
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pop — music
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. row — a line
  16. kid — to tease
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pop — soda
  19. ball — a dance
  20. snap — to click
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bound — obliged
  24. ball — a round shape

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