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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 116 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. tube — the underground
  3. clip — for paper
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — a law
  6. bore — to drill
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — a container
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. clip — a video
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. tear — to rip
  14. clip — to cut
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rash — hasty
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rule — government
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. rash — a series
  24. bore — to tire

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