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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: rush · lie · rule · bear · tear · squash · mate · chair

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. rule — government
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bear — the animal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mate — a friend
  10. lie — to recline
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. chair — a leader
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mate — to breed
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. squash — the sport
  20. tear — to rip
  21. rule — a law
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. rush — a thrill

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