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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 · pass · cold · firm · snap · bound · ground · ruler

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. cold — not warm
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. firm — decided
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bound — certain
  10. firm — a company
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pass — a permit
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. kid — to tease
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. snap — to click
  18. bound — tied together
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. kid — child
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ruler — for measuring

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