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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. rule — a law
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bass — the fish
  8. file — a document
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. rule — government
  11. file — a tool
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bulb — for light
  14. content — happy
  15. file — a line of people
  16. content — the amount
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bass — low music
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. pitch — completely

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