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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. board — a committee
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. fall — to drop
  6. date — the fruit
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ground — crushed
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bound — certain
  11. ground — a position
  12. fall — the season
  13. tear — from crying
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bore — to tire
  16. fall — to drop
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bore — to drill
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. board — to get on
  24. tear — from crying

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