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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bound — tied together
  4. kick — in football
  5. lie — to recline
  6. ground — the earth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. roll — a list
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bound — certain
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bound — obliged
  22. ground — a position
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. kick — with a leg

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