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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 120 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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. rock — a stone
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bound — certain
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. wind — moving air
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rock — music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. scale — in music
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — the animal
  15. lie — to recline
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bound — obliged
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. pitch — completely

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