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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bound — tied together
  8. wind — moving air
  9. firm — a company
  10. bound — certain
  11. firm — steady
  12. land — to come down
  13. firm — decided
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. land — ground
  16. kid — child
  17. season — in sport
  18. lie — to recline
  19. kid — to tease
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. season — of the year
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wind — moving air
  24. land — a country

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