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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. fall — the season
  3. bound — certain
  4. current — of water
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bound — obliged
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. rush — hurry
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. current — electric
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pass — a permit
  19. current — happening now
  20. tear — from crying
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. tear — to rip
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bound — tied together

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