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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bank — of a river
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. tear — to rip
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. fork — in a road
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. track — a path
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — a trail
  22. track — a song
  23. rule — a law
  24. track — to keep track

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