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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rock — music
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rule — government
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. tear — to rip
  10. rock — a stone
  11. spell — magic
  12. mug — a face
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. spell — letters
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rule — a law
  19. mug — to rob
  20. spell — a short time
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mug — a cup
  23. hand — help
  24. kid — child

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