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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. rule — a law
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. date — the fruit
  9. band — a ring
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. saw — the tool
  13. band — a music group
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. saw — the tool
  16. craft — boats
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rule — government
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. date — on the calendar

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