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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. tear — from crying
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — a gift
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. net — after costs
  7. present — there
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. scale — size or range
  11. net — in sport
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. rule — government
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. tear — from crying
  19. net — for catching
  20. scale — in music
  21. chair — a leader
  22. rule — a law
  23. scale — for weighing
  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