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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rash — hasty
  3. file — a line of people
  4. roll — a list
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bound — obliged
  10. file — a tool
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bound — tied together
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bore — to tire
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. file — a document
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. bound — certain

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