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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. bound — obliged
  2. tear — from crying
  3. roll — a cake
  4. land — a country
  5. firm — a company
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. present — a gift
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. tube — a container
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. land — ground
  12. present — there
  13. firm — steady
  14. firm — decided
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. tear — to rip
  17. land — to come down
  18. roll — a list
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. tear — from crying
  22. present — the time now
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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