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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. race — a contest
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. lie — to recline
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bound — obliged
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. present — a gift
  13. fork — in a road
  14. date — the fruit
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. race — the arms race
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bound — certain
  20. present — the time now
  21. land — ground
  22. present — there
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. race — humankind

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