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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. tear — from crying
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rule — a law
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. snap — to click
  14. press — a publisher
  15. rule — government
  16. press — to push
  17. clip — to cut
  18. lie — to recline
  19. clip — a video
  20. rash — a series
  21. press — newspapers
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rash — hasty

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