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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cap — a hat
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. spell — magic
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. spell — letters
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. rush — hurry
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lie — to recline
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. chest — a box

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