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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. degree — an amount
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. rule — a law
  14. dip — to sink
  15. degree — temperature
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bay — a horse colour

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