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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. craft — a skill
  3. foot — a measure
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pop — music
  10. rule — government
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. craft — boats
  13. rule — a law
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. tear — from crying
  16. file — a document
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. pop — to visit
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pop — soda
  23. deal — to handle
  24. craft — a handicraft

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