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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rule — a law
  4. scale — in music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bore — to drill
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rule — government
  10. scale — size or range
  11. tear — to rip
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bore — to tire
  15. fall — the season
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mug — a cup

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