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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bound — certain
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. charge — in control
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bound — obliged
  10. race — the arms race
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. charge — a price
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bound — tied together
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. charge — electricity

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