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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. face — to confront
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rule — government
  7. face — part of the head
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. tear — to rip
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. rule — a law
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. game — a match
  16. face — to point toward
  17. game — wild animals
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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