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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bass — the fish
  6. court — of a king
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rule — government
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of law
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. kid — child
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bass — low music
  23. kid — to tease
  24. tear — to rip

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