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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 124 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. tear — to rip
  3. object — an aim
  4. cell — in biology
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. object — a thing
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rule — a law
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. rule — government
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. object — to protest
  24. bulb — for light

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