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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. dip — to sink
  3. hand — help
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. lie — to recline
  6. last — final
  7. present — a gift
  8. foot — a measure
  9. saw — the tool
  10. present — there
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. last — to go on
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. hand — in cards
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. present — the time now
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. last — finally
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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