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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wind — moving air
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. can — to be able to
  5. track — a path
  6. can — a tin
  7. season — in sport
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. date — the fruit
  13. track — to keep track
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bound — certain
  16. tear — to rip
  17. season — of the year
  18. bound — tied together
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in biology
  21. track — a song
  22. can — a tin
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. tear — from crying

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