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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bound · chair · lie · squash · kid · ball · bulb · mine

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bound — tied together
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. mine — for digging
  6. kid — to tease
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bound — obliged
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bound — certain
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bulb — for light
  22. ball — a dance
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. lie — to recline

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