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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. net — after costs
  4. charge — in control
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. land — to come down
  7. rule — government
  8. rush — hurry
  9. net — in sport
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. net — for catching
  13. pitch — completely
  14. land — ground
  15. charge — a price
  16. rule — a law
  17. charge — electricity
  18. tear — to rip
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. land — a country
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fork — in a road

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