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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. ball — a dance
  3. lie — to recline
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bound — certain
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bound — obliged
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — thin
  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