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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 116 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cell — a phone
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bear — the animal
  5. lie — to recline
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. rash — a series
  12. scale — size or range
  13. rash — hasty
  14. scale — in music
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bound — tied together
  18. hand — help
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cell — in biology
  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