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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 124 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. rash — a series
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rash — hasty
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. kick — in football
  13. rule — a law
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. board — to get on
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. board — a committee
  18. tear — to rip
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. rule — government
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. drill — army training
  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