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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bound — certain
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rest — a break
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bound — tied together
  7. rest — what's left
  8. net — after costs
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. rest — what's left
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bound — obliged
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. lean — thin
  17. net — in sport
  18. lean — to bend
  19. march — the month
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. net — for catching
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rush — hurry

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