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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. drill — a practice
  5. rule — government
  6. drill — the tool
  7. pass — a permit
  8. tear — from crying
  9. key — in music
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bound — certain
  12. drill — army training
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. club — for golf
  17. rule — a law
  18. key — for a lock
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. key — the most important part
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bound — tied together
  24. club — a group

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