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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.

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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rule — government
  6. fine — all right
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rule — a law
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. mate — a partner
  16. tear — to rip
  17. perch — the fish
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cell — in biology
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cell — a phone
  22. rush — hurry
  23. tear — from crying
  24. ground — a position

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