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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. net — in sport
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. tear — to rip
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bank — of a river
  11. net — for catching
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rule — government
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rule — a law
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bank — for money
  21. net — after costs
  22. squash — the sport
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bank — for money

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