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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: fine · cell · game · bound · squash · pit · race · lie

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bound — obliged
  4. cell — a phone
  5. game — a match
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. game — wild animals
  8. race — a contest
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. squash — the sport
  11. race — humankind
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. race — the arms race
  17. pit — in a race
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. lie — to recline
  20. fine — all right
  21. cell — in biology
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bound — certain
  24. fine — high quality

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