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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: fall · bound · mate · kid · content · perch · rule · dip

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bound — obliged
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. kid — to tease
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kid — child
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rule — a law
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fall — to drop
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. content — happy
  17. rule — government
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — to sink
  20. bound — certain
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — the amount
  23. mate — to breed
  24. perch — the fish

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