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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 116 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bound — obliged
  4. field — farmland
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bound — tied together
  9. drill — army training
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. drill — the tool
  14. rule — a law
  15. can — a tin
  16. field — for sport
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bound — certain
  19. rule — government
  20. tear — to rip
  21. drill — a practice
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. field — a subject

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