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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. press — a publisher
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. pitch — completely
  8. rule — a law
  9. press — newspapers
  10. fall — the season
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rule — government
  14. press — to push
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. rush — hurry
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. fall — to drop
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — money
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. capital — a big letter

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