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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. can — to be able to
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. can — a tin
  5. row — a line
  6. rule — government
  7. date — the fruit
  8. face — part of the head
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. face — to confront
  11. tear — from crying
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. tear — to rip
  15. rule — a law
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. row — to paddle
  18. can — a tin
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. face — to point toward
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. deal — to handle
  24. staff — a stick

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