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

Word bank: rule · bay · fall · rest · swing · shower · tear · march

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. fall — the season
  5. swing — in golf
  6. fall — to drop
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. rest — a break
  10. fall — to drop
  11. march — the month
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. march — music
  20. rule — a law
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rule — government
  23. march — the month
  24. tear — from crying

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