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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. chip — for betting
  6. rock — music
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bound — certain
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. drill — a practice
  16. fall — the season
  17. tube — the underground
  18. drill — army training
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bound — tied together
  21. tube — a container
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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