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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fall — to drop
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mate — to breed
  5. fall — to drop
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. saw — the tool
  8. net — for catching
  9. bound — obliged
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bound — certain
  13. lie — to recline
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bound — tied together
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fall — the season
  20. net — after costs
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. net — in sport

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