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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bound — certain
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. row — a line
  8. row — to paddle
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. spell — a short time
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. scale — in music
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. spell — magic
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. lie — to recline
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. spell — letters

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