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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: dip · rule · stock · swing · rush · game · tear · leaves

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. game — wild animals
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. rule — a law
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. rule — government
  12. rush — hurry
  13. stock — goods
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. stock — shares
  19. game — a match
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. swing — music

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