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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stand — to bear
  3. bound — tied together
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. rock — music
  6. bound — certain
  7. tear — from crying
  8. net — in sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. tear — to rip
  11. present — a gift
  12. rock — a stone
  13. net — for catching
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. present — there
  17. tear — from crying
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. present — the time now
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bound — obliged
  22. net — after costs
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. leaves — to go away

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