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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. tear — to rip
  5. deal — to handle
  6. staff — employees
  7. tear — from crying
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. last — finally
  10. clip — to cut
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bound — tied together
  14. staff — employees
  15. clip — a video
  16. last — to go on
  17. rush — hurry
  18. last — final
  19. staff — a stick
  20. tear — from crying
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. sharp — clever
  24. rush — to hurry

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