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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bound — certain
  4. lie — to recline
  5. rock — music
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bound — obliged
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. key — in music
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. key — for a lock
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. key — the most important part
  21. rock — a stone
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — an illness

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