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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fine — all right
  4. tear — to rip
  5. can — a tin
  6. rule — a law
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. rule — government
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. band — a ring
  17. rash — a series
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. band — a music group
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. tear — from crying
  24. ball — a dance

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