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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. tear — from crying
  3. field — farmland
  4. capital — money
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tear — to rip
  8. fine — high quality
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. tear — from crying
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bound — obliged
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bound — certain
  19. tube — a container
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. capital — a city
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. capital — a big letter

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