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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. bound — tied together
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bound — obliged
  6. file — a document
  7. tear — to rip
  8. firm — steady
  9. capital — money
  10. track — to keep track
  11. stand — to bear
  12. file — a tool
  13. track — a path
  14. track — a song
  15. tear — from crying
  16. firm — decided
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. file — a line of people
  20. capital — a city
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bound — certain
  24. kick — in football

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