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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. lean — thin
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. cap — a hat
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. land — a country
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bat — the animal
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pass — a permit
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bound — tied together
  19. land — to come down
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bound — certain
  22. cap — of ice
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. tear — to rip

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