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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. foot — a measure
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. tear — to rip
  6. snap — to click
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. face — to confront
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rule — a law
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. face — part of the head
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rush — hurry
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. face — to point toward
  23. field — a subject
  24. rule — to rule out

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