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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bound — obliged
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. net — after costs
  7. bound — certain
  8. track — a path
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bound — tied together
  11. charge — in control
  12. degree — from a university
  13. track — a song
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. track — to keep track
  16. charge — a price
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. charge — electricity
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. plane — a tool

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