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

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bound — certain
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bank — for money
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bat — the animal
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. cue — a hint

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