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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. last — finally
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. last — final
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. sharp — clever
  12. perch — the fish
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bat — the animal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bound — certain
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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