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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. content — happy
  3. stand — to bear
  4. bound — tied together
  5. foot — a measure
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bound — obliged
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. cue — a hint
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bound — certain
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cue — for pool
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. content — the amount
  19. tear — from crying
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. tear — from crying
  22. hand — help
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. tear — to rip

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