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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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468
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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rule — a law
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. tear — to rip
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. capital — a city
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. prune — to trim
  11. capital — money
  12. kid — to tease
  13. rule — government
  14. prune — to trim
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fan — to cool the air

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