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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 was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bound — certain
  5. tear — to rip
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. row — a line
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. content — happy
  10. kick — in football
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. tear — from crying
  14. march — the month
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bound — tied together
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bound — obliged

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