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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: row · snap · bowl · lie · kick · rock · stick · bound

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  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. snap — to click
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. rock — music
  7. bound — certain
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rock — a stone
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bound — obliged
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. lie — to recline
  18. row — a line
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. row — to paddle
  22. kick — in football
  23. rock — to move gently
  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