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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. tear — from crying
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. spell — letters
  5. scale — size or range
  6. firm — a company
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. firm — decided
  10. scale — in music
  11. spell — a short time
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. rule — government
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. firm — steady
  19. rule — a law
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. spell — magic
  24. bat — the animal

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