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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rule — a law
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. game — wild animals
  5. tear — to rip
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. game — a match
  9. chair — a leader
  10. shower — to wash
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rule — government
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bulb — for light
  22. shower — rain
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bulb — of a plant

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