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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: suit · club · present · clip · kid · bound · saw · rule

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. rule — a law
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. present — the time now
  9. kid — child
  10. suit — to fit
  11. saw — the tool
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rule — government
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. clip — a video
  17. suit — in cards
  18. club — a group
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. present — a gift
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — for golf
  24. present — there

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