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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 120 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. ground — a position
  4. tear — to rip
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mug — a cup
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. mug — a face
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. tear — from crying
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rule — government
  17. ground — crushed
  18. sharp — clever
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. craft — a skill
  22. craft — boats
  23. mug — to rob
  24. pitcher — a jug

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