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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. tear — from crying
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bound — certain
  8. pit — a hole
  9. mate — a friend
  10. chair — a leader
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bound — tied together
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mate — to breed
  15. row — a line
  16. bark — to shout
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. tear — to rip
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. pit — in a race

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