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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. track — a path
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. swing — to play on
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. swing — music
  9. tear — from crying
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mine — for digging
  13. track — a song
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rule — government
  16. shower — rain
  17. rule — a law
  18. swing — in golf
  19. tear — to rip
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. track — to keep track
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. mine — belonging to me

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