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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. tear — from crying
  3. key — for a lock
  4. rule — government
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. tear — to rip
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. roll — a cake
  16. rush — hurry
  17. key — the most important part
  18. tear — from crying
  19. saw — the tool
  20. roll — a list
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. rule — a law
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. key — in music

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