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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cold — an illness
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rule — government
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. shower — to wash
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bear — the animal
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. cue — a signal
  19. rule — a law
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cue — for pool
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. cue — a hint
  24. shower — rain

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