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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. net — for catching
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rush — hurry
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. net — after costs
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. current — electric
  11. bound — certain
  12. lean — to bend
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. net — in sport
  15. game — wild animals
  16. lean — thin
  17. bound — tied together
  18. current — happening now
  19. tear — from crying
  20. current — of water
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. tear — from crying
  23. game — a match
  24. mouse — the animal

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