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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bound — tied together
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bound — obliged
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. pit — in a race
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mate — a partner
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. mate — a friend
  18. cell — a phone
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bound — certain

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