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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 116 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bound — obliged
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bound — certain
  8. snap — to click
  9. cue — for pool
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bound — tied together
  15. cue — a hint
  16. file — a document
  17. pass — a permit
  18. fine — all right
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. file — a line of people
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. file — a tool
  24. bark — to shout

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