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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 120 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. net — in sport
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. tear — from crying
  6. net — for catching
  7. track — a song
  8. rule — a law
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. rule — government
  11. sharp — clever
  12. band — a music group
  13. net — after costs
  14. band — a ring
  15. charge — in control
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bark — to shout
  18. track — a path
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. track — to keep track
  22. charge — a price
  23. tear — to rip
  24. charge — electricity

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