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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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rule — government
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. tear — from crying
  6. last — to go on
  7. band — a music group
  8. mate — to breed
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. hand — in cards
  11. rule — a law
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. last — finally
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. hand — help
  16. saw — the tool
  17. last — final
  18. mate — a partner
  19. saw — the tool
  20. band — a ring
  21. perch — the fish
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rule — to rule out

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