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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. land — to come down
  4. bore — to tire
  5. tear — to rip
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rule — government
  8. land — a country
  9. pit — in a race
  10. land — ground
  11. snap — to click
  12. field — for sport
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — a law
  16. field — a subject
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bore — to drill
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. field — farmland

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