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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bound — tied together
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. chest — of your body
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. court — for sport
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bound — obliged
  22. court — of law
  23. bound — certain
  24. court — of a king

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