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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rule — government
  3. degree — temperature
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. degree — an amount
  8. tear — from crying
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. root — the cause
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a face
  14. root — of a plant
  15. degree — from a university
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. root — of a word
  19. tear — to rip
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. rule — a law
  24. 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