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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bound — tied together
  3. tear — from crying
  4. board — a committee
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bound — obliged
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. board — to get on
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. date — the fruit
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bound — certain
  24. hide — to keep secret

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