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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. shower — to wash
  3. object — an aim
  4. tear — from crying
  5. clip — to cut
  6. shower — rain
  7. wind — moving air
  8. clip — for paper
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. rule — government
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. object — to protest
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. object — a thing
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rule — a law
  23. clip — a video
  24. ruler — for measuring

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