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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 116 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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bound — certain
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bound — obliged
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bore — to drill
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. bore — to tire
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cell — a phone
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cell — in biology
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. cold — not warm
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. lie — an untruth

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