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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. ground — crushed
  3. rule — a law
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. ground — the earth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. pop — music
  9. ground — a position
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. band — a ring
  12. pop — to visit
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pop — soda
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rule — government

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