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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · cabinet · can · stick · safe · bound · swing · pit

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. swing — to play on
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. swing — music
  10. bound — certain
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bound — obliged
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pit — in a race
  20. can — a tin
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. swing — in golf
  23. pit — a hole
  24. can — a tin

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