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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. tear — from crying
  3. face — to confront
  4. pop — music
  5. bound — tied together
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. tear — to rip
  9. last — to go on
  10. pop — to visit
  11. march — the month
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bound — certain
  14. cue — a hint
  15. march — the month
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pop — soda
  18. mate — to breed
  19. march — music
  20. cue — for pool
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to point toward
  23. cue — a signal
  24. mate — a friend

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