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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. staff — a stick
  3. squash — the sport
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bound — tied together
  9. fall — to drop
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. staff — employees
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bound — certain
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. fall — the season
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. squash — to crush
  20. staff — employees
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. fall — to drop

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