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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 116 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. object — to protest
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pit — a hole
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. object — an aim
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rule — government
  17. object — a thing
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pit — in a race
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. rule — a law
  24. rush — a thrill

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