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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 · game · bay · racket · pass · cold · rash · rule

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rule — government
  12. game — a match
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — a series
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. pass — a permit
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. tear — from crying
  21. game — wild animals
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. game — a kind of play

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