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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. march — the month
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cell — in biology
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. march — the month
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wind — moving air
  8. squash — to crush
  9. saw — the tool
  10. tear — from crying
  11. squash — the sport
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. tear — from crying
  21. march — music
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bound — certain
  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