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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. bound — tied together
  3. face — part of the head
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. face — to point toward
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. kid — child
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bass — low music
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bound — certain
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. content — happy
  19. prune — to trim
  20. content — the amount
  21. face — to confront
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. kid — to tease
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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