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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 120 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. last — final
  4. bound — obliged
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rule — government
  10. last — to go on
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. last — finally
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wind — moving air
  16. ground — crushed
  17. rule — a law
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bound — certain
  21. wind — moving air
  22. ground — a position
  23. lie — to recline
  24. rule — to rule out

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