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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. tear — from crying
  3. object — an aim
  4. bore — to tire
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bound — obliged
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bound — certain
  12. mug — a face
  13. rule — government
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. rule — a law
  16. tear — to rip
  17. object — to protest
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. object — a thing
  22. bore — to drill
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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