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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's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. last — to go on
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. last — final
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. lie — to recline
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. roll — a list
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bound — certain
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — tied together
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. last — finally
  24. roll — a cake

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