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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: game · lie · field · cabinet · bound · arm · kid · charge

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. charge — a price
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. charge — in control
  8. field — for sport
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. kid — child
  17. field — a subject
  18. charge — electricity
  19. bound — tied together
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. game — wild animals
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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