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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 120 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rule — government
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. tear — to rip
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — an amount
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fork — in a road
  12. rash — hasty
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. degree — temperature
  20. stand — to bear
  21. rule — a law
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. fork — to eat with

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