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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 116 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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. tear — from crying
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. tear — to rip
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bore — to tire
  10. rash — a series
  11. bore — to drill
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rash — hasty
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rule — a law
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rule — government
  24. fork — to eat with

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