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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. key — for a lock
  3. club — a group
  4. can — to be able to
  5. rule — government
  6. tear — from crying
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. can — a tin
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. key — the most important part
  12. tear — to rip
  13. club — for golf
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. rule — a law
  17. can — a tin
  18. branch — a division
  19. club — for dancing
  20. key — in music
  21. chair — a leader
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. branch — of a tree

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