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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rock — music
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rule — a law
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rock — a stone
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rule — government
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. tear — from crying
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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