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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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Word bank
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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: scale · craft · kid · mark · bat · bound · squash · charge

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bat — the animal
  4. craft — boats
  5. bound — tied together
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. kid — to tease
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — a price
  11. bound — certain
  12. squash — the sport
  13. craft — a skill
  14. scale — in music
  15. kid — child
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. charge — in control
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. squash — to crush
  24. mark — a grade

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