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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: rule · hand · cell · kick · tear · fine · deal · bound

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bound — obliged
  5. fine — high quality
  6. hand — in cards
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. cell — in biology
  10. rule — government
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rule — a law
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. cell — a phone
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bound — certain
  18. deal — to handle
  19. hand — help
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. tear — from crying
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. kick — in football
  24. bound — tied together

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