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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. file — a document
  4. saw — the tool
  5. tear — from crying
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. tear — to rip
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bound — tied together
  11. chair — a leader
  12. hand — help
  13. file — a line of people
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. saw — the tool
  17. file — a tool
  18. bear — the animal
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bound — certain
  24. pitch — a sports field

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