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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. object — an aim
  3. tear — from crying
  4. clip — to cut
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rule — government
  7. swing — to play on
  8. suit — clothes
  9. tear — to rip
  10. suit — in cards
  11. tube — the underground
  12. object — to protest
  13. swing — music
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. club — a group
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. tube — a container
  18. rule — a law
  19. swing — in golf
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — for golf
  22. object — a thing
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — for paper

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