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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. current — happening now
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. tear — from crying
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. current — of water
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. hand — help
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. tear — from crying
  17. scale — in music
  18. bound — obliged
  19. current — electric
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — certain
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. scale — size or range

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