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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. swing — in golf
  3. net — in sport
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rule — government
  8. deal — to handle
  9. land — a country
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bank — of a river
  12. net — for catching
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bank — for money
  16. swing — music
  17. land — ground
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bank — for money
  20. swing — to play on
  21. net — after costs
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. land — to come down
  24. rule — a law

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