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

Word bank: snap · lie · bound · stick · chest · face · craft · mark

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. lie — to recline
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. chest — of your body
  8. craft — boats
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mark — a trace
  11. snap — to click
  12. craft — a skill
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. chest — a box
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. face — to confront
  18. bound — certain
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mark — a grade
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bound — obliged

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