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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. can — a tin
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cap — a lid
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. can — to be able to
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. press — newspapers
  9. firm — steady
  10. press — a publisher
  11. toast — bread
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bound — certain
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bound — obliged
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a tool
  19. press — to push
  20. file — a document
  21. cap — of ice
  22. firm — a company
  23. can — a tin
  24. firm — decided

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