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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a list
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cell — a phone
  8. pass — a permit
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bound — obliged
  12. cell — in biology
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. field — a subject
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. roll — a cake
  19. field — farmland
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bound — tied together
  22. field — for sport
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

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