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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. tear — to rip
  3. sharp — clever
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bound — tied together
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bound — obliged
  13. band — a music group
  14. pit — in a race
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. tear — from crying
  17. game — wild animals
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bound — certain
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. band — a ring
  24. game — a match

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