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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fall — the season
  3. swing — in golf
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bound — tied together
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fall — to drop
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bore — to drill
  17. last — finally
  18. fall — to drop
  19. swing — music
  20. bound — certain
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bound — obliged
  23. last — final
  24. last — to go on

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