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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bound — tied together
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. fine — all right
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. hand — help
  8. bass — the fish
  9. fine — high quality
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bass — low music
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bound — certain
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. perch — the fish
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wind — moving air
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wind — moving air

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