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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  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. fine — all right
  2. band — a music group
  3. fine — high quality
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bound — certain
  7. bank — of a river
  8. cell — in biology
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — a law
  12. bound — tied together
  13. band — a ring
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cell — a phone
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bank — for money
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bank — for money
  23. band — a rubber band
  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