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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: mine · lie · bound · bat · mark · swing · mug · last

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. last — final
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. swing — in golf
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mark — a trace
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. lie — to recline
  15. mug — a face
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mark — a grade
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bound — certain
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. swing — music
  24. mine — an explosive

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