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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. mark — a grade
  3. rule — a law
  4. foot — a measure
  5. march — the month
  6. bound — certain
  7. tube — a container
  8. tear — from crying
  9. hand — help
  10. tear — to rip
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. tube — the underground
  13. hand — in cards
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. march — the month
  18. mark — a trace
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bound — obliged
  21. march — music
  22. rule — government
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bound — tied together

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