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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. lean — to bend
  3. rock — music
  4. rule — a law
  5. tear — to rip
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. tear — from crying
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. lean — thin
  11. wind — moving air
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. rock — a stone
  14. kick — in football
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rule — government

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