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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: dip · sharp · cabinet · pit · mine · tear · bound · toast

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. bound — certain
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. toast — bread
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bound — tied together
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. dip — to sink
  9. tear — from crying
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. tear — from crying
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tear — to rip
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bound — obliged
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mine — for digging

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