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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. spell — a short time
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rule — government
  5. spell — letters
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. swing — in golf
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rule — a law
  13. swing — music
  14. spell — magic
  15. tear — to rip
  16. game — a match
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. swing — to play on
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. tear — from crying
  24. game — wild animals

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