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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 · game · net · lie · cell · sharp · rash · mug

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bound — tied together
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. rash — hasty
  9. cell — in biology
  10. rash — a series
  11. bound — certain
  12. cell — a phone
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — to rob
  15. game — a match
  16. bound — obliged
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. mug — a face
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. net — for catching
  23. game — wild animals
  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