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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bound — obliged
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cold — an illness
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — a series
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bound — certain
  12. rash — hasty
  13. face — to point toward
  14. cold — not warm
  15. face — part of the head
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. wake — a trail
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. face — to confront

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