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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. drill — army training
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — not warm
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. bound — tied together
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. drill — a practice
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bound — certain
  20. bass — low music
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cold — the Cold War

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