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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. band — a ring
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. scale — size or range
  6. staff — employees
  7. fine — high quality
  8. scale — in music
  9. club — for golf
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fine — all right
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. club — a group
  14. rule — government
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rule — a law
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. staff — a stick
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. staff — employees
  22. club — for dancing
  23. tear — to rip
  24. scale — for weighing

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