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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. march — the month
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bass — low music
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. object — to protest
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. march — the month
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bass — the fish
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. march — music
  17. object — a thing
  18. rule — a law
  19. object — an aim
  20. saw — the tool
  21. deal — to handle
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rule — government
  24. toast — bread

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