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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cold — not warm
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mark — a grade
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bound — certain
  11. cold — an illness
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wake — a trail
  14. deal — to handle
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bound — obliged
  17. lie — to recline
  18. mark — a trace
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bound — tied together

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