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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 120 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. rule — government
  4. mug — a cup
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. rash — a series
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. mug — a face
  12. rule — a law
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. face — to confront
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. face — part of the head
  18. fork — in a road
  19. tear — from crying
  20. face — to point toward
  21. mug — to rob
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. tear — to rip

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