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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. tear — from crying
  5. kid — to tease
  6. mug — to rob
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a line
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. tear — to rip
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. tear — from crying
  18. plane — a tool
  19. mug — a face
  20. rule — a law
  21. mug — a cup
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. kid — child
  24. rule — government

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