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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cap — a lid
  4. lie — to recline
  5. cap — a hat
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pitch — completely
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. snap — to click
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bank — for money
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. cap — of ice
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bound — certain
  23. bank — for money
  24. rush — a thrill

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