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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. land — a country
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. lie — to recline
  12. hand — in cards
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bound — certain
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. wake — a trail
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bound — obliged
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mark — to pay attention

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