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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bound — obliged
  3. present — the time now
  4. march — the month
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. ground — a position
  7. bound — tied together
  8. row — to paddle
  9. present — a gift
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. march — music
  15. saw — the tool
  16. ground — the earth
  17. march — the month
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. tear — from crying
  20. row — a line
  21. bound — certain
  22. present — there
  23. saw — the tool
  24. ground — crushed

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