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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rush — hurry
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. tear — to rip
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. rule — a law
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. deal — to handle
  24. spring — the season

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