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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. tear — from crying
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. object — a thing
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rule — a law
  8. pop — soda
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hand — help
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. object — to protest
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a music group
  20. rule — government
  21. pop — to visit
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. object — an aim
  24. rule — to rule out

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