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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · press · bay · safe · clip · rule

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rule — government
  7. clip — for paper
  8. press — newspapers
  9. tear — to rip
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. tear — from crying
  12. press — to push
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. clip — a video
  16. rule — a law
  17. press — a publisher
  18. rule — to rule out

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