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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: bound · present · cue · lie · cold · content · safe · row

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. bound — certain
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cold — not warm
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. row — to paddle
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. content — the amount
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cue — a hint
  15. content — happy
  16. present — there
  17. row — a line
  18. present — the time now
  19. bound — tied together
  20. cue — for pool
  21. lie — to recline
  22. present — a gift
  23. row — a quarrel
  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