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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — obliged
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. roll — a cake
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bound — certain
  10. roll — a list
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — temperature
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bark — to shout
  16. race — humankind
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. ball — a great time
  20. race — a contest
  21. lie — to recline
  22. plane — a tool
  23. degree — from a university
  24. race — the arms race

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