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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bound — certain
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. tear — to rip
  6. fine — all right
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. fall — the season
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bound — tied together
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bound — obliged
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. content — the amount
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fall — to drop
  21. content — happy
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pass — a permit
  24. wound — an injury

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