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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: kid · pass · bound · charge · toast · squash · saw · shower

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. saw — the tool
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. kid — child
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. squash — to crush
  10. kid — to tease
  11. toast — bread
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. charge — a price
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — a permit
  17. saw — the tool
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bound — tied together
  20. squash — the sport
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — in control
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. shower — rain

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