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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. tear — to rip
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. rule — government
  10. rock — music
  11. bat — the animal
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. tear — from crying
  16. spell — a short time
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. rule — a law
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mug — a face

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