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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. tear — from crying
  3. squash — to crush
  4. tear — to rip
  5. cap — a hat
  6. rest — a break
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bound — obliged
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bound — tied together
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bound — certain
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cap — a lid
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tear — from crying
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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