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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 120 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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. charge — in control
  5. staff — employees
  6. spring — the season
  7. staff — employees
  8. fork — in a road
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. spring — of water
  11. staff — a stick
  12. fall — to drop
  13. game — a match
  14. bound — obliged
  15. lie — to recline
  16. spring — a coil
  17. charge — a price
  18. game — wild animals
  19. charge — electricity
  20. fall — the season
  21. bound — certain
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. game — a kind of play

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