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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: lie · mouse · bound · tear · roll · chest · bay · ruler

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  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. roll — on a roll
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. chest — a box
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bound — obliged
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lie — to recline
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bound — certain
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. roll — a list
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. chest — of your body
  16. roll — a cake
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bound — tied together
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. lie — an untruth
  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