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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: hide · ground · tear · straw · pit · rock · nail · rule

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rule — government
  3. ground — a position
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. tear — to rip
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rock — music
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. pit — in a race
  14. rule — a law
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. pit — a hole
  18. tear — from crying
  19. ground — the earth
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. ground — crushed
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. rock — a stone

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