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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. spell — magic
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wake — a trail
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. firm — steady
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. firm — decided
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. tear — to rip
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bound — certain
  16. tear — from crying
  17. spell — letters
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. spell — a short time
  21. current — happening now
  22. tear — from crying
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bound — tied together

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