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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. pop — music
  3. bound — tied together
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. row — a line
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pop — to visit
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. current — electric
  10. staff — employees
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. current — of water
  13. pop — soda
  14. row — to paddle
  15. roll — a list
  16. current — happening now
  17. roll — a cake
  18. bound — obliged
  19. lie — to recline
  20. wind — moving air
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. staff — employees
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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