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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bound — obliged
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fine — high quality
  9. band — a music group
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. last — final
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. content — the amount
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. content — happy
  17. band — a ring
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. last — finally
  22. fine — all right
  23. lie — to recline
  24. last — to go on

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