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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. rule — government
  3. capital — money
  4. rash — hasty
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. capital — a city
  7. stock — goods
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stock — shares
  10. rash — a series
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. land — ground
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. land — a country
  20. saw — the tool
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. land — to come down
  23. bulb — for light
  24. stock — a soup base

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