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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pit — in a race
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — bread
  7. pit — a hole
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cap — of ice
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bound — certain
  21. cap — a hat
  22. tear — to rip
  23. cap — a lid
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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