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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. object — to protest
  3. bound — tied together
  4. staff — employees
  5. pop — music
  6. object — a thing
  7. pitch — completely
  8. content — happy
  9. pop — soda
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bound — certain
  12. staff — a stick
  13. last — final
  14. last — to go on
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. last — finally
  17. tear — from crying
  18. staff — employees
  19. content — the amount
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bound — obliged
  22. tear — to rip
  23. pop — to visit
  24. object — an aim

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