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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. suit — clothes
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. content — happy
  9. cold — an illness
  10. spell — a short time
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bound — obliged
  13. content — the amount
  14. spell — magic
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bound — tied together
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lie — to recline
  20. cold — not warm
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. spell — letters
  24. suit — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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