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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. spell — magic
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. present — there
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. cap — a hat
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lean — thin
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — obliged
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. cap — a lid
  15. tear — to rip
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. spell — letters
  19. tear — from crying
  20. spell — a short time
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — the time now
  23. lean — to bend
  24. nail — for a hammer

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