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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. rule — government
  4. rule — a law
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mug — to rob
  8. shower — rain
  9. board — a committee
  10. shower — to wash
  11. tear — from crying
  12. board — to get on
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. mug — a face
  15. bound — certain
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — a trail
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. face — to confront
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. tear — to rip
  24. face — part of the head

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