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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. roll — a cake
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rule — a law
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. tear — from crying
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. net — in sport
  13. fall — the season
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. tear — to rip
  16. firm — steady
  17. roll — a list
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. firm — decided
  20. net — after costs
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rule — government
  23. firm — a company
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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