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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. land — a country
  3. tear — to rip
  4. rule — government
  5. land — to come down
  6. board — to get on
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. tear — from crying
  10. hand — help
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. board — a committee
  17. land — ground
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. hand — in cards
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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