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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 120 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: cap · present · kid · can · bowl · lie · bound · bore

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. cap — a lid
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bound — certain
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. kid — child
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bound — tied together
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. cap — of ice
  17. present — a gift
  18. bound — obliged
  19. kid — to tease
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cap — a hat
  22. present — there
  23. bore — to drill
  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