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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bound — tied together
  3. capital — a city
  4. pop — music
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pop — soda
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. pop — to visit
  14. lie — to recline
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. prune — to trim
  21. capital — money
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bound — certain
  24. mouse — for a computer

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