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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 120 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — certain
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bound — obliged
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. press — newspapers
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. press — to push
  13. face — to point toward
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. face — part of the head
  17. kick — in football
  18. press — a publisher
  19. tear — from crying
  20. saw — the tool
  21. tear — to rip
  22. face — to confront
  23. pound — a weight
  24. saw — the tool

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