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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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Word bank
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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 · rash · pass · fan · last · kid · saw · tear

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. last — to go on
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rule — a law
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — government
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. rash — a series
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rash — hasty
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. last — finally
  20. last — final
  21. pass — a permit
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fan — a supporter
  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