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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. tear — from crying
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bound — certain
  8. face — to confront
  9. cap — of ice
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. face — to point toward
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. tear — to rip
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. tear — from crying
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bound — obliged
  18. wake — to stop sleeping

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