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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a signal
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. tear — to rip
  6. land — a country
  7. cue — a hint
  8. current — of water
  9. stock — shares
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. current — electric
  13. race — the arms race
  14. stock — goods
  15. face — part of the head
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. current — happening now
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. race — humankind
  21. rule — a law
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rule — government
  24. race — a contest

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