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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. rule — a law
  3. tear — from crying
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bore — to drill
  6. lean — thin
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lean — to bend
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — a safe
  12. rule — government
  13. tear — to rip
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. deal — to handle
  17. fine — all right
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. fine — high quality
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bore — to tire
  24. face — to confront

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