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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. dip — to sink
  3. tear — from crying
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. last — finally
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — obliged
  8. season — in sport
  9. chip — for betting
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. last — final
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bark — to shout
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — of the year
  23. last — to go on
  24. dip — a sauce

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