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

Word bank: drill · safe · bound · content · snap · face · stand · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. content — happy
  3. bound — tied together
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. kid — to tease
  7. snap — to click
  8. drill — the tool
  9. content — the amount
  10. face — to point toward
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. kid — child
  13. stand — to bear
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. face — part of the head
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. face — to confront
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. drill — a practice
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. drill — army training
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — obliged

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