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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. content — the amount
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. tear — to rip
  5. content — happy
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bear — the animal
  12. row — a line
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bound — obliged
  17. race — humankind
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bear — the animal
  24. race — a contest

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