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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. lean — thin
  5. bound — certain
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. tear — from crying
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. tear — from crying
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bound — obliged
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. cell — in biology
  22. face — part of the head
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. face — to confront

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