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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 116 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bound — certain
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. cell — in biology
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. rock — music
  10. current — of water
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. current — happening now
  14. bound — obliged
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. kick — in football
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bound — tied together
  19. rock — a stone
  20. current — electric
  21. content — happy
  22. cell — a phone
  23. fall — to drop
  24. kick — a thrill

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