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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 · last · shower · fork · pit · chip · rule · rock

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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 — to rip
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rock — music
  4. chip — to eat
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pit — in a race
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. pit — a hole
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. fork — in a road
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. rule — a law
  15. chip — for betting
  16. rule — government
  17. last — final
  18. rock — a stone
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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