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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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. deal — an agreement
  2. bore — to drill
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. net — after costs
  5. bound — certain
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bore — to tire
  8. chair — a leader
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. tear — to rip
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. net — in sport
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bound — obliged
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. deal — to handle
  22. net — for catching
  23. chair — a professorship
  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