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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. march — the month
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. spell — a short time
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rule — a law
  11. spell — letters
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. march — the month
  14. spell — magic
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. march — music
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. roll — a cake
  19. rule — government
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. leaves — of a tree

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