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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: shower · face · stick · rule · tear · bat · sharp · bay

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. face — part of the head
  3. shower — rain
  4. tear — from crying
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. tear — to rip
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. face — to confront
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. rule — government
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bay — a horse colour
  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