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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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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: straw · bound · fall · safe · rest · lie · cell · court

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. court — for sport
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. fall — the season
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bound — obliged
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. fall — to drop
  10. court — of law
  11. cell — in biology
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. court — of a king
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bound — certain
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bound — tied together
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rest — a break
  23. cell — a phone
  24. safe — out of danger

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