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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: bound · deal · pit · kid · clip · charge · spell · lie

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bound — obliged
  3. charge — a price
  4. pit — in a race
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — for paper
  9. charge — electricity
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. kid — child
  15. charge — in control
  16. pit — a hole
  17. deal — to handle
  18. lie — to recline
  19. kid — to tease
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. spell — letters
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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