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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. last — to go on
  4. mate — a friend
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bound — obliged
  7. last — finally
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bound — certain
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mate — a partner
  13. last — final
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. wind — moving air
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. bound — tied together
  19. net — in sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. lie — to recline
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. lie — an untruth

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