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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bound — tied together
  3. lie — to recline
  4. can — a tin
  5. bound — certain
  6. chest — a box
  7. drill — a practice
  8. can — a tin
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. can — to be able to
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bound — obliged
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bat — the animal
  18. date — the fruit
  19. chest — of your body
  20. drill — army training
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. wound — an injury
  24. drill — the tool

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