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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bore — to tire
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. date — the fruit
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bound — obliged
  12. spell — magic
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bound — tied together
  17. spell — a short time
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bound — certain
  23. spell — letters
  24. bat — in an idiom

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