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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. net — after costs
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rash — hasty
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bound — certain
  7. tear — to rip
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. net — for catching
  10. tear — from crying
  11. net — in sport
  12. wake — a trail
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lie — to recline
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bound — obliged
  24. rash — a series

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