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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. staff — employees
  3. snap — to click
  4. present — a gift
  5. bound — obliged
  6. present — there
  7. lie — to recline
  8. row — to paddle
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. row — a line
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bound — tied together
  14. present — the time now
  15. staff — employees
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bound — certain
  19. staff — a stick
  20. fine — all right
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. row — a quarrel

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