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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: mate · hand · rash · march · bound · content · mug · lie

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. march — the month
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rash — a series
  5. lie — to recline
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mug — a face
  9. rash — hasty
  10. march — music
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mug — a cup
  14. content — happy
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. hand — help
  18. march — the month
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mug — to rob
  23. content — the amount
  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