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

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. row — to paddle
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — all right
  6. capital — a city
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. charge — in control
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bound — tied together
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. cell — a phone
  15. charge — a price
  16. bound — obliged
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. dip — to sink
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bound — certain
  23. row — a line
  24. capital — money

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