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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 120 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: bay · rash · arm · rule · tear · cap · firm · last

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. last — to go on
  5. cap — a lid
  6. rash — a series
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. firm — steady
  9. rule — government
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. tear — from crying
  12. firm — a company
  13. cap — of ice
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. tear — to rip
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. cap — a hat
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. firm — decided
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. last — final
  23. rule — a law
  24. last — finally

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