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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. file — a line of people
  4. rule — a law
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. spell — a short time
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. board — to get on
  9. spell — letters
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. board — a committee
  16. spell — magic
  17. file — a tool
  18. tear — to rip
  19. rule — government
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. file — a document
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. board — a flat piece

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