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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. tear — to rip
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pop — soda
  6. file — a document
  7. object — an aim
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. object — to protest
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — to bend
  12. tear — from crying
  13. object — a thing
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rule — a law
  16. pop — to visit
  17. content — happy
  18. file — a tool
  19. fall — the season
  20. content — the amount
  21. lean — thin
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pop — music
  24. fall — to drop

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