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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. clip — for paper
  4. snap — to click
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. object — an aim
  8. rule — a law
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. rule — government
  14. object — to protest
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. clip — to cut
  18. object — a thing
  19. clip — a video
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. tube — a container

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