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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. capital — a city
  4. tear — from crying
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — government
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. shower — rain
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. shower — to wash
  19. chip — for betting
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — thin
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. tear — to rip

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