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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. field — farmland
  3. drill — the tool
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — magic
  6. mug — a cup
  7. rule — government
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pit — a hole
  10. rule — a law
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. pit — in a race
  18. drill — a practice
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. drill — army training
  24. spell — letters

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