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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. cell — a phone
  3. race — a contest
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. race — the arms race
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. race — humankind
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mug — a face
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. present — there
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. row — a line
  18. lie — to recline
  19. row — to paddle
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — the time now
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. lie — an untruth

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