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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — a group
  6. rule — government
  7. tube — a container
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tear — from crying
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. rule — a law
  17. tube — the underground
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. chair — a leader
  23. tear — to rip
  24. straw — a straw man

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