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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fine — high quality
  4. mate — to breed
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — government
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. court — for sport
  9. fine — all right
  10. tear — from crying
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mate — a partner
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. chair — a leader
  17. kick — in football
  18. row — a line
  19. mate — a friend
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. tear — to rip
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. rule — a law
  24. fine — a penalty

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