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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 120 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. rule — a law
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. spell — letters
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. hand — help
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mine — for digging
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. foot — a measure
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bound — obliged
  20. spell — magic
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bound — certain
  23. lie — to recline
  24. rule — government

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