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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: hand · tear · season · hide · deal · stock · rule · cell

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. cell — in biology
  5. season — in sport
  6. tear — to rip
  7. deal — to handle
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rule — government
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stock — shares
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stock — goods
  16. hand — help
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. tear — from crying
  19. hand — in cards
  20. season — of the year
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. cell — a phone
  24. hide — to keep secret

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