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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cap — of ice
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bound — obliged
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bound — certain
  8. tear — to rip
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. date — the fruit
  12. mug — to rob
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — not warm
  16. court — of a king
  17. mug — a face
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — a permit
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cold — an illness
  24. date — on the calendar

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