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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rule — government
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rule — a law
  7. sharp — clever
  8. charge — in control
  9. spring — of water
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. spring — a coil
  13. lie — to recline
  14. charge — a price
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wake — a trail
  17. tear — to rip
  18. charge — electricity
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. tear — from crying
  21. spring — the season
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. tear — from crying

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