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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 116 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. net — in sport
  5. bass — the fish
  6. net — after costs
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bulb — for light
  11. lie — to recline
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bass — low music
  16. row — a line
  17. net — for catching
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. face — to confront
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to point toward
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bound — obliged

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