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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. scale — size or range
  3. lie — to recline
  4. spring — a coil
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. season — in sport
  9. spring — the season
  10. last — finally
  11. season — of the year
  12. scale — in music
  13. bound — certain
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. spring — of water
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bound — obliged

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