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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bound — obliged
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pound — a weight
  14. bound — certain
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bound — tied together
  18. hand — help
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bear — the animal

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