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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 120 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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bound — certain
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. capital — money
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bound — tied together
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wind — moving air
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. capital — a city

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