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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 124 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. tear — to rip
  6. march — the month
  7. chest — of your body
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chest — a box
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chest — of your body
  14. foot — a measure
  15. spell — a short time
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. chip — to eat
  21. spell — magic
  22. bound — obliged
  23. march — the month
  24. spell — letters

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