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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bound — certain
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to click
  6. charge — a price
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bound — tied together
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. charge — electricity
  14. tube — the underground
  15. perch — the fish
  16. charge — in control
  17. tube — a container
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bound — obliged
  20. hand — in cards
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. pit — a hole

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