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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. tear — from crying
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. clip — a video
  5. pit — a hole
  6. tube — a container
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. land — ground
  9. rule — government
  10. shower — to wash
  11. clip — for paper
  12. tear — to rip
  13. club — for golf
  14. land — to come down
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. clip — to cut
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. land — a country
  20. club — for dancing
  21. rule — a law
  22. club — a group
  23. shower — rain
  24. tube — the underground

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