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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. club — for dancing
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. chest — a box
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rule — government
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. hand — help
  9. club — for golf
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. club — a group
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. spell — magic
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. spell — letters
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rule — a law
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. spell — a short time
  24. chest — of your body

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