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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: bound · last · safe · chair · net · dip · lie · tube

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bound — tied together
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. net — for catching
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bound — certain
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. last — final
  13. dip — to sink
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bound — obliged
  17. tube — a container
  18. net — after costs
  19. last — finally
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chair — a leader
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. last — to go on

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