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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. rock — a stone
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. rock — music
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bound — certain
  11. rest — what's left
  12. clip — to cut
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. hand — help
  16. clip — for paper
  17. cap — a hat
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. clip — a video
  20. rest — a break
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. rest — what's left

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