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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. can — a tin
  3. staff — employees
  4. file — a tool
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. tear — from crying
  8. file — a line of people
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. tear — to rip
  12. can — a tin
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. craft — boats
  15. staff — a stick
  16. craft — a skill
  17. can — to be able to
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. staff — employees
  20. rule — a law
  21. file — a document
  22. tear — from crying
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. hand — part of the body

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