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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. prune — to trim
  5. tear — to rip
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. tear — from crying
  8. scale — in music
  9. last — finally
  10. prune — to trim
  11. tear — from crying
  12. last — to go on
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. scale — size or range
  15. lie — to recline
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. rule — a law
  23. last — final
  24. lie — an untruth

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