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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rule — government
  3. game — wild animals
  4. can — to be able to
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. root — of a plant
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. chair — a leader
  12. root — the cause
  13. game — a match
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rule — a law
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. can — a tin
  20. tear — to rip
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. root — of a word
  23. can — a tin
  24. bowl — a football final

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