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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 120 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: race · stick · fork · game · bound · lie · object · snap

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. race — the arms race
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. snap — to click
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. fork — in a road
  12. game — wild animals
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. object — to protest
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — humankind
  18. bound — obliged
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bound — certain
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — a thing
  23. bound — tied together
  24. fork — a garden tool

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