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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bulb — for light
  5. spell — letters
  6. capital — money
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. spell — magic
  18. capital — a city
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  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