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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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Word bank
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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: rule · straw · firm · mine · game · date · tear · foot

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. firm — decided
  3. foot — a measure
  4. date — the fruit
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. firm — steady
  7. firm — a company
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. rule — government
  13. game — wild animals
  14. rule — a law
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. game — a match
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. mine — for digging

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