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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wind — moving air
  3. tear — from crying
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. present — there
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rule — government
  10. tear — to rip
  11. present — a gift
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bark — to shout
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. rule — a law
  19. present — the time now
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. rest — a break
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. tear — from crying

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