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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: bound · rule · snap · lie · fall · season · foot · capital

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. rule — government
  3. fall — to drop
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. fall — to drop
  6. snap — to click
  7. lie — to recline
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rule — a law
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. foot — a measure
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. capital — a city
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fall — the season
  21. bound — certain
  22. season — in sport
  23. capital — money
  24. season — of the year

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