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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. tear — to rip
  6. march — music
  7. foot — a measure
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. rule — government
  13. march — the month
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. march — the month
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. ball — a dance
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. club — for golf
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. ball — a great time
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — with your hand

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