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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. tear — to rip
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rule — government
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cap — a hat
  15. tear — from crying
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bowl — a football final

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