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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. last — to go on
  3. bank — for money
  4. tear — to rip
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. club — for golf
  7. rule — government
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bank — for money
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. tear — from crying
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. club — for dancing
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. last — final
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bank — of a river
  21. last — finally
  22. club — a group
  23. fork — in a road
  24. pound — a weight

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