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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. season — in sport
  3. bound — tied together
  4. present — the time now
  5. season — of the year
  6. date — the fruit
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. present — there
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bound — certain
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. tear — from crying
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. tear — to rip
  24. present — a gift

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