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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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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: rock · rash · kid · lie · season · land · bound · toast

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bound — obliged
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — music
  6. kid — child
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. land — a country
  9. kid — to tease
  10. season — of the year
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. bound — tied together
  15. land — ground
  16. season — in sport
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bound — certain
  23. toast — bread
  24. land — to come down

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