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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. kid — to tease
  5. last — final
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rule — a law
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mug — a cup
  10. race — the arms race
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. firm — steady
  13. race — humankind
  14. wake — a trail
  15. kid — child
  16. race — a contest
  17. mug — a face
  18. last — to go on
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. last — finally
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — a company

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