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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. rule — government
  2. shower — to wash
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. spell — magic
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. tear — to rip
  14. spell — letters
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. board — a committee
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. board — to get on
  21. rule — a law
  22. tear — from crying
  23. spell — a short time
  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