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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · fork · lean · sharp · rule · bound · lie · ball

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. lean — thin
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. season — in sport
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. ball — a dance
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. ball — a great time
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. bound — tied together
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. fork — in a road
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. lean — to bend
  23. rule — a law
  24. lie — an untruth

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