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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: object · perch · bound · kid · race · jam · rock · craft

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. object — to protest
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. race — a contest
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rock — music
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. race — the arms race
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. perch — the fish
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. object — a thing
  16. bound — obliged
  17. object — an aim
  18. craft — boats
  19. rock — a stone
  20. race — humankind
  21. kid — to tease
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bound — tied together
  24. kid — child

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