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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 116 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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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. rule — to rule out
  3. object — a thing
  4. craft — boats
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. craft — a skill
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. spell — letters
  11. bound — certain
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rule — a law
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bound — obliged
  18. spell — a short time
  19. object — an aim
  20. tube — a container
  21. spell — magic
  22. object — to protest
  23. tear — from crying
  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