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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 124 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. tear — to rip
  3. row — a line
  4. march — music
  5. current — electric
  6. pop — music
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. suit — to fit
  9. march — the month
  10. bound — certain
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. row — to paddle
  14. suit — in cards
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. current — of water
  18. pop — to visit
  19. suit — clothes
  20. pop — soda
  21. current — happening now
  22. bound — obliged
  23. march — the month
  24. scale — in music

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