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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. kick — in football
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. tear — from crying
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bound — tied together
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. tear — from crying
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bound — certain
  24. kick — a thrill

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