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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. lie — to recline
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pitcher — a jug

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