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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. kid — to tease
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. file — a document
  6. rest — what's left
  7. kid — child
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bound — tied together
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. file — a tool
  12. mark — a trace
  13. rest — a break
  14. mark — a grade
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. file — a line of people
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to sink
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rest — what's left

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