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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bound — tied together
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mug — a face
  8. bat — the animal
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mug — to rob
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. bound — certain
  14. cell — a phone
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. cell — in biology
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bound — obliged
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. kid — child
  24. cell — in a prison

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