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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: bat · rule · coach · tear · stick · fine · clip · pass

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. rule — government
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bat — the animal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fine — all right
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pass — a permit
  14. fine — high quality
  15. clip — for paper
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. rule — a law
  18. clip — a video
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. clip — to cut

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